We talked a few days ago about dehydration in childhood, and today we are referring to other situations in which special attention must be paid to avoid suffering this loss of liquids and mineral salts, dehydration in pregnancy and lactation.
During pregnancy there are numerous changes in the woman's body and her nutritional needs are modified, increasing the fluid needs. Therefore, it is essential to monitor the correct hydration of women who expect a baby.
During pregnancy you need to drink more than usual. To get an idea, two thirds of the weight gained at the end of pregnancy is water. Your body is affected by hormonal changes that unbalance thermal regulation, so good hydration is essential.
Within the nutritional recommendations for this period, one of them is adequate fluid intake, through the drinks and foods that make up the diet. This facilitates the elimination of toxins, the digestion of food and the purification of the organism.
Hydration of the mother during breastfeeding
During breastfeeding, you will probably have noticed more thirsty than usual. It is normal for the mother to need to drink more water, since breast milk is mainly composed of this element.
We do not have to do anything special, simply increasing the ingested fluids, quenching our thirst, we will be giving our body what it needs at this stage to produce enough milk that the baby drinks.
This, together with adequate nutrition: during breastfeeding, the mother's diet must be healthy, varied and balanced, without forgetting to drink enough fluids. According to UNICEF,
The nursing mother needs to drink fluids to stay hydrated so that she can keep enough milk; the best indicator of the amount of fluids a woman requires is thirst; This is why it is important that you consume water, milk or juices every time you feel thirsty and it is important that you calm down by drinking water, juices or milk, but without forgetting that the production of milk is guaranteed by the sucking of the baby.
Definitely, both during pregnancy and during breastfeeding the woman must be properly hydrated to stay healthy and avoid the risks that lack of fluids in the body can cause, especially in these periods.
