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9 Tips for a Fit Pregnancy
A Guide to Nine Months of Healthful Habits
By Jennifer Lacey
Most expectant women need approximately eight 8-ounce glasses of water per day during the course of their pregnancies. "We encourage pregnant women to meet that recommendation for many reasons, since dehydration can cause water retention, preterm contractions, constipation, headaches, irritability and urinary tract infections," says Dr. Bartholomew.
Drinking water may also ease constipation. "Hydration is important in softening the stool, which eases constipation," says Dr. Ashi Daftary, assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center in Pennsylvania.
Unfortunately, an expectant woman cannot always avoid becoming sick at least once during her pregnancy. "Pregnant women have slightly impaired immune systems and this makes them more susceptible to getting very sick if they get infected with a cold," says Dr. Greenfield. "It is always an issue about how to treat symptoms of a cold or flu, since we don't like to have pregnant women exposing their babies to a lot of medications."
The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecologists (ACOG) recommends that all pregnant women receive a flu vaccination after they have completed their first trimesters if they are going to be pregnant during the flu season (which runs from October to March). "Pregnant women who get the flu have an increased risk of developing serious complications," says Dr. Bartholomew. She says the vaccine is inactivated and is considered safe for both pregnant women and their fetuses.
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