Avoiding Dehydration when You Have Morning Sickness

Avoiding Dehydration when You Have Morning Sickness

Have you ever had one of those days when even the thought of eating or drinking anything made you want to make a beeline for the bathroom? Chances are, if you have a baby on the way, you’ve had lots of those days.

Morning sickness is no fun. If we’re not careful, it can lead to a condition which is even less fun: dehydration. While morning sickness is a perfectly normal (and believe it or not, healthy) part of carrying a baby, dehydration is not. In fact, dehydration can be dangerous to you and your baby.

Dehydration, simply put, is a lack of fluid in your body. Some of the signs that your body is or is becoming dehydrated include:

  • Exhaustion. Most of us feel fatigued at times when we’re pregnant, but if you’re too worn out to do anything, drink more fluids.
  • Dry lips. Even if you put lip gloss or Chap Stick on them.
  • Lightheadedness. Especially when standing up.
  • Infrequent urination. You’re pregnant. You should be peeing like crazy.
  • Inability to sweat. If you’re not sweating when you’re exerting yourself, you’re dehydrated.
  • Disorientation or Confusion. Again, a certain amount of this is just pregnancy hormones. If you can’t concentrate, though, it could be a sign you need more H2O.
  • Dark urine. Ideally, when you pee it should be clear. The darker yellow your urine is, the more emphatically your body is telling you to add more fluids.

The best thing to do when you’re dehydrated (or better yet, to avoid dehydration) is to drink water. Lots of it. We should be drinking 8-10 glasses of water per day under normal conditions. We should be drinking even more when pregnant.

If water’s not your thing (and let’s face it, water isn’t really anybody’s thing) or if even water makes you sick, here are a few more things you can do to stay hydrated:

  • Soup it up. Brothy soups (as opposed to thick soups) are great for keeping you hydrated, and go down well, even on an upset tummy. Chicken soup is the best for this, but any light soup will do.
  • Ice, ice, baby. If drinking a glass of water (or anything else) makes you feel sick, try sucking on ice cubes or ice chips. You take in the water a little bit at a time that way, which can help you avoid a bout of morning sickness.
  • Indulge that watermelon craving. Melons of all types have lots of water in them. Many other types of fruit are also good for staying hydrated.