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Electrolytes are vital in maintaining your organs’ functions. They make sure that your cardiac, nervous, muscular, and digestive systems are at peak efficiency. They also regulate and control your body’s fluids, keep you hydrated, and play an important part in controlling nerve impulses and muscle contraction.
The electrolytes in your body are made up of minerals like sodium, potassium, chloride, calcium, magnesium, phosphate, and bicarbonate. Electrolytes in your body should be in the correct amounts. If you lose a substantial amount, you’ll be dehydrated and suffer muscle cramps and spasms—not to mention you’ll be left feeling lousy.
That’s why staying hydrated is vital for your health. Staying hydrated is a concern not only for athletes, or for those who suffer from diarrhea—dehydration is a concern for a pregnant woman, too.
Dehydration During Pregnancy
Dehydration during pregnancy is more common than you might think. Some cases may be mild, but a severe case of dehydration could be risky for both the mother and baby. Your unborn child puts enormous demands on your body—that’s why you should take in extra nutrients. Morning sickness and excessive vomiting cause dehydration as well.
Dehydration means your body is losing fluids faster than you can replenish them. The outcome is that your body will be hard-pressed to function normally. During pregnancy, dehydration is worrying. Water is used to develop the placenta, which sustains the fetus. The amniotic sac is also filled with fluid.
Dehydration could result in critical complications like neural tube defects, low amniotic fluid, premature labor, congenital disabilities, and deficient breast milk production. Remember that your body during pregnancy uses more water than usual. You should always take care to stay hydrated, and your electrolytes replenished. Stock up on electrolyte drink powder and keep them handy.
If you are suffering from a horrible case of morning sickness and you can’t keep anything down, you are in danger of dehydration—vomiting could result in loss of fluids, electrolytes, and stomach acids. As you advance into your pregnancy, you’re also at risk of overheating, which could be a sign of dehydration.
Signs that You May be Dehydrated
A dehydrated body would show signs that something is wrong, and you should watch out for them. A common symptom of dehydration for pregnant women is maternal overheating. Not drinking enough water could lead to your body having trouble regulating your body temperature, and this could result in overheating. If your urine is dark yellow, that is also a sign of dehydration.
These symptoms can also indicate mild to moderate dehydration:
- Sleepiness
- Thirst
- Headache
- Decreased urge to urinate
- Dizziness
- Constipation
- Dry, sticky mouth
Drink water if you are experiencing these symptoms and get some rest. If you want to make sure you’re all right, call your doctor and explain the symptoms you are having.
Dehydration during pregnancy can also cause Braxton-Hicks contractions—mild contractions that feel like a tightening in the belly that lasts from 30 seconds up to two minutes. These ‘false’ labor pains are commonly experienced during the second or third trimester.
Drinking water is usually enough to combat mild to moderate dehydration. What needs immediate medical attention is severe dehydration, especially in pregnant women.
Severe dehydration symptoms are the following:
- Low blood pressure
- Dark-colored urine or not urinating
- Extreme thirst
- Parched mouth, dry skin, and dry mucous membranes
- Sunken eyes
- Rapid breathing and heartbeat
- Sleepiness, lethargy, confusion, or irritability
- Fainting
These symptoms are indications that medical attention is needed ASAP.
Electrolytes and Hydration
Electrolytes are compounds that produce ions when dissolved in water and other solutions. They are referred to as electrolytes because these ions have a negative and positive electrical charge. In nutrition, electrolytes are minerals dissolved in the body’s fluids that play various roles to make sure fluids, tissues, and cells work together for your body to function properly. These roles are:
- Initiating nerve impulses
- Help in repairing damaged tissues
- Balance blood pressure and acidity
- Balance volume of water in your body
Electrolytes help you hydrate because they are the minerals that control which parts of your body need water the most. That’s how electrolytes help you stay hydrated. Maintaining optimal fluid balance within cells are also the electrolytes’ responsibility.
It’s also the electrolytes’ job to make sure that water inside and outside your cells is properly balanced whenever we sweat. This balance helps us stay properly hydrated and guarantees your body’s overall function. Put more succinctly, electrolytes make your heart maintain its steady beat.
Proper Way to Replenish Electrolytes
Would sports drinks do the trick? The short answer is no. Although some brands are safe for pregnant women, sports drinks can contain very high sugar and sodium. If you must, choose the low sugar or low sodium version. However, it’s better to drink milk, low-sugar juice, or water instead. Ultimately, drinking water is one of the most important things to do while pregnant.
Look for proper balance when using electrolytes for hydration. Select a drink that contains the appropriate balance between electrolytes and healthy carbs. Avoid sugary drinks. Specially formulated drinks or powders contain electrolytes for hydration, prepared to have adequately balanced potassium and sodium, carbs, and contains no sugar.
Maintaining Electrolytes
You don’t have to drink your electrolytes. You can also eat them. Below is a list of electrolytes and the foods that have them.
- Calcium. Eggs, fish with bones (like sardines), milk and dairy products, beans, asparagus, figs, kiwis, strawberries, oranges, meat, fortified breakfast cereals.
- Magnesium. Leafy green vegetables (spinach, kale, etc.), dried beans, lentils, peanut butter, nuts, whole grains.
- Potassium. Sweet potato, plain non-fat yogurt, bananas, peas, avocados, melons, oranges, prunes, raisins, cooked spinach.
- Chloride. Celery, seaweed, tomatoes, rye, olives, lettuce.
You should also take it easy on the salt intake. Sodium may be an essential electrolyte, but more is definitely not better when it comes to salt. A teaspoon a day of salt will suffice. A diet rich in salt could cause high blood pressure and other health problems.
Always make sure to drink enough water—this can’t be stressed enough. Keep a water bottle with you and drink small amounts of liquid during the day. Monitor your fluid intake—some apps can help you monitor the amount of water you drink all day. Remember too that fluid intake is more than just chugging water: milk, juice (the low-sugar kind), soup, and watery fruits like pineapple or watermelons can also help you stay hydrated.
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