Hydration in pregnancy: how much, and why it matters

Your body is doing a lot of extra work in pregnancy, making more blood, building the waters around your baby, and supporting your growing placenta, and all of that needs fluid. Staying well hydrated helps with some of pregnancy's most common nuisances: constipation, tiredness, headaches, urine infections, and the swelling and dizziness that can creep in later on.

A good general aim is around 8 to 10 cups (roughly 1.5 to 2 litres) of fluid a day, and more in hot weather, if you're being sick, or after exercise. Water is ideal, but milk, sugar-free squash, and the fluid in soups, fruit and vegetables all count too. Keep an eye on caffeine, which has its own daily limit, and remember that fizzy and very sugary drinks are best as occasional choices rather than your main source.

If the thought of plain water turns your stomach in early pregnancy, you're not alone, nausea can make it surprisingly hard. Try sipping little and often rather than gulping a big glass, add slices of lemon, cucumber, mint or ginger, try it ice-cold or warm, or get fluid from things like watermelon, soups, smoothies and yoghurt instead.

A simple way to check how you're doing is your urine: pale straw-coloured means you're well hydrated, while dark yellow and strong-smelling is a sign to drink more. Some people drink less on purpose to avoid endless trips to the loo, understandable, but try not to, as good hydration helps prevent urine infections, which are more common in pregnancy.

Get in touch with your midwife or maternity unit if you can't keep fluids down at all, if you feel very dizzy or your urine has been dark for a while, or if you have any burning or pain when you wee. Most of the time, though, hydration is one of the easiest things you can do to feel better day to day, keep a bottle within reach and sip steadily.