Pregnant women need roughly 8 to 12 cups (64 to 96 ounces) of water per day, which is significantly more than the standard recommendation for non-pregnant adults. Your blood volume increases by about 45% during pregnancy, your body is building and maintaining amniotic fluid, and your kidneys are working harder than usual. All of that demands more water. Here’s how to actually hit that target, even when nausea, taste aversions, or a busy schedule get in the way.
Why Water Needs Increase During Pregnancy
The jump in blood volume alone explains a lot. According to research published in the American Heart Association’s journal Circulation, total blood volume rises anywhere from 20% to 100% above pre-pregnancy levels, with 45% being the most common increase. To support that expansion, your body activates hormonal systems that retain salt and water. Pregnancy also triggers increased thirst signals through a hormone called relaxin, which stimulates both water retention and the urge to drink.
Beyond blood volume, your body needs water to produce and replenish amniotic fluid. A Cochrane review of four trials found that women who drank extra water increased the volume of fluid surrounding the baby. This held true both for women with normal fluid levels and for those with low amniotic fluid (a condition called oligohydramnios). Staying well-hydrated is one of the simplest things you can do to support a healthy fluid environment for your baby.
Dehydration during pregnancy also has an immediate, noticeable consequence: it’s a common trigger for Braxton Hicks contractions. These are the practice contractions that tighten your abdomen and can feel alarming, especially if you’re not expecting them. Drinking water often stops a round of Braxton Hicks within minutes.
Practical Ways to Drink More Water
Knowing you need more water and actually drinking it are two different problems. These strategies help close the gap.
Anchor It to Existing Habits
Tie a glass of water to something you already do. Drink a full glass when you wake up, one before each meal, and one before bed. That alone gets you to five glasses without much thought. If you snack frequently (which many pregnant women do), pair a few sips with every snack. Small, consistent amounts are easier to manage than trying to drink a large volume all at once.
Keep Water Visible and Accessible
A refillable water bottle that you carry everywhere acts as a constant visual reminder. Choose one with volume markings so you can track your progress throughout the day. Keep a second bottle at your bedside, since you’ll likely wake up thirsty during the night as your kidneys keep working overtime.
Use a Tracking App
Apps like Waterllama and Hydro Coach let you set a daily goal based on pregnancy-specific needs, factoring in your weight, activity level, and even the climate where you live. Both apps send reminders throughout the day. The simple act of logging each glass creates accountability that makes it easier to stay consistent.
Set Time-Based Goals
Divide your waking hours into blocks and assign a water target to each one. For example, aim to finish 32 ounces by noon and another 32 ounces by dinner. Some women use rubber bands on their water bottle, removing one each time they finish a full bottle, to keep a running count without needing a phone.
Making Water More Appealing
Plain water can taste metallic or unappealing during pregnancy, especially in the first trimester when taste aversions are strongest. Flavoring your water with whole fruits and herbs is a safe, simple fix. Lemon slices, orange wedges, lime, cucumber, strawberry slices, fresh mint, and basil all work well. These add just enough flavor to make water palatable without adding significant sugar or calories. Cucumber and mint together is a particularly refreshing combination that many pregnant women find easier to tolerate than plain water.
Temperature matters too. Some women find that ice-cold water is easier to drink, while others prefer room temperature. If cold water triggers nausea, try it slightly cool rather than icy. Sparkling water counts toward your daily total and can feel more satisfying to drink, though it may worsen heartburn for some women in the later trimesters.
Staying Hydrated When You’re Nauseous
Morning sickness (or all-day sickness, as many women experience it) makes drinking water feel impossible. The key is to stop thinking in terms of full glasses and start thinking in small, frequent sips. Take two or three sips every 10 to 15 minutes rather than trying to drink a whole cup at once. This keeps fluid moving into your system without overwhelming your stomach.
Ice chips and frozen fruit are useful alternatives when even small sips feel like too much. Sucking on ice lets you absorb water very gradually. Popsicles made from fruit juice serve the same purpose and add a small amount of electrolytes.
Ginger can help with the nausea itself. Ginger tea, ginger ale (look for versions made with real ginger), and crystallized ginger are all options. An empty stomach tends to make nausea worse, so keeping small amounts of food in your system alongside your fluids can help you tolerate both. Cold, sour, and salty foods are generally easier to keep down during bouts of nausea.
If you’re experiencing severe nausea and vomiting, electrolyte replacement drinks can help restore both fluids and minerals. Your body loses more electrolytes during pregnancy than it normally does, partly because the baby draws on your supply and partly because of increased urination. An oral rehydration solution replaces sodium and potassium along with water, which plain water alone doesn’t do.
Electrolytes and Water Balance
Water alone isn’t always enough. Your body needs electrolytes, particularly sodium and potassium, to actually absorb and use the water you drink. During pregnancy, electrolyte losses increase, which means you may need to be more intentional about replacing them. Adding a pinch of salt to your water, eating potassium-rich foods like bananas and sweet potatoes, or using a pregnancy-safe electrolyte drink can all help.
Foods with high water content also contribute to your daily fluid intake. Watermelon, cucumbers, oranges, strawberries, and soups all count. If drinking large volumes of plain water feels difficult, getting 20% of your fluid from water-rich foods is a practical workaround.
How Much Is Too Much
It’s rare, but drinking excessive amounts of water can dilute your blood sodium to dangerous levels, a condition called hyponatremia. During pregnancy, your normal blood sodium level is already lower than usual (130 to 140 mmol/L compared to 135 to 145 mmol/L when not pregnant), so the margin before you hit a problem is narrower.
Symptoms of overhydration include headache, nausea, vomiting, lethargy, muscle cramps, and disorientation. In severe cases, it can progress to seizures. The risk is highest during labor: research published in the Journal of South Asian Federation of Obstetrics and Gynaecology found that women who drank more than 2.5 liters of fluid during labor had a 26% chance of developing low sodium levels at delivery, compared to just 1% for women who stayed under one liter.
During everyday pregnancy (not labor), the risk is much lower as long as you’re spreading your intake throughout the day rather than chugging large volumes in short bursts. Drinking two liters of water in two hours, for instance, is very different from drinking the same amount over an entire day. Aim for steady, consistent intake. If your urine is pale yellow, you’re well-hydrated. If it’s completely clear for most of the day, you may be overdoing it.
Trimester-Specific Challenges
In the first trimester, nausea is the main barrier. Small sips, flavored water, and ice chips are your best tools. Many women find that their water aversion eases significantly by week 14 or 15.
In the second trimester, most women feel better and can drink more easily. This is a good time to build strong hydration habits that will carry you through the third trimester, when new challenges appear.
In the third trimester, the baby is pressing on your bladder, which means every glass of water sends you to the bathroom. This can discourage drinking, but your fluid needs are actually highest now. Front-load your water intake earlier in the day to reduce nighttime bathroom trips. Taper off in the two hours before bed, but don’t cut back on your overall daily total. Your body, your blood volume, and your amniotic fluid all need the water more than ever in these final weeks.