What can I drink during pregnancy?
Your need for fluids increases during pregnancy. You should drink at least 2.5 liters throughout the day. However, it is also important that you watch what you drink.
Drink at least 2.5 liters
During pregnancy, it is important to drink plenty of fluids to keep your body hydrated. Pregnancy is incredibly taxing on your body. He has to increase the blood volume by about a third. In addition, your rising estrogen levels dilate your blood vessels. The heart pumps vigorously and your circulation can easily become unbalanced. This has a particular effect if you already suffered from low blood pressure before you became pregnant. It is therefore very important now that you drink enough and support your body with it. You should drink at least 2.5 liters a day !It is best to distribute the amount well throughout the day. There is little point in catching up in the evening what you haven’t drunk during the day. It is best to always have a bottle of water with you. Alternatively, tap water is also suitable, you can have the quality tested here .
Prof. Dr. Kainer and Annette Nolden in their book “The Big Book on Pregnancy”:
- Try drinking a glass of water before breakfast.
- You should also have a glass of juice or a cup of tea with your breakfast.
- Two glasses of water or juice spritzer during the morning.
- A glass of water with lunch.
- A large cup of tea or a glass of milk in the afternoon.
- Two large cups of tea or glasses of water with dinner.
- A glass of water before bed.
Suitable drinks during pregnancy
You can safely consume the following drinks during pregnancy:
- It is best to drink a lot of water and mineral water. With mineral water, however, it is good if you make sure that it is low in sodium. Water containing sodium binds fluid in the tissues. There are also many types of mineral water that are already enriched with vitamins and minerals.
- In addition to mineral water, you can drink unsweetened herbal or fruit teas or the Muckefuck coffee substitute made from malt, barley and rye.
- Skimmed milk, fruit milk, and buttermilk are also good because they also help you meet your calcium needs.
Drinks that pregnant women should not drink
You should avoid the following drinks during your pregnancy:
- Coffee and other caffeinated beverages : American and British research studies show that drinking just two cups of coffee a day can have a negative impact on child development. In an English study, for example, women who drank coffee gave birth to children that were 70 grams lighter on average. Of course, this also applies to black tea and cola. Since caffeine also impedes the absorption of iron, calcium and vitamin C, it is better to skip the espresso or the small coffee immediately after the meal. Incidentally, dark chocolate also contains caffeine and should therefore only be enjoyed in small quantities.
- Soft drinks rich in sugar: You should avoid cola, fanta, iced tea and similar soft drinks rich in sugar during this time. Drinking chocolate and cocoa should also only be consumed in small amounts.
- Beverages containing quinine : You should definitely omit bitter lemon and tonic water. The quinine it contains can have negative effects on your baby’s health in large quantities.
- Alcohol : It is now almost a matter of course and actually every pregnant woman knows it: alcohol is taboo. There is clear medical evidence that alcohol can cause serious harm to children. Because it affects the placentadirectly on the child. However, it is still unclear why alcohol consumption has a strong effect on some women and why others still give birth to a perfectly healthy child. In addition to the amount drunk, the stage of development of the unborn child seems to play a role. In some phases of pregnancy, the child’s brain is particularly susceptible to pollutants. However, since these phases are not yet fully known and no limit values for alcohol consumption can be determined, alcohol is generally discouraged. On the other hand , you can read about non-alcoholic beer here .