Is drinking 8 ounces of water for every hour you are awake a day too much? (for a pregnant woman)?

Question

Hi, I recently read on here, while searching how much water I should be drinking daily during my pregnancy, and several people answered that their doctors or nurses advised them to drink 8 ounces of water for every hour you are awake per day, but that seems like way too much water. Because for example, say I'm awake by 8 am and don't go to sleep until 11 pm that's a total of 15 hours I'm awake so 15 X 8 ounces = 120 ounces of water I should drink a day. Does that amount seem excessive to anyone or is that a good amount to drink daily? Reason I was searching that in the first place is to try and help combat constipation during my pregnancy and I know water can help with that problem. I just wanna make sure I'm not getting too much of a good thing ya know, and I've been kinda worried about it since I heard about water intoxication. Please advise as to how much water a pregnant women in her 8th month should drink a day and / or if the 8 ozs. for every hour awake is ok or not. Thanks

Answer 1

If you are having problems with constipation then what you should do try to eat 3 to 5 fruits and veggies a day. The fiber will help keep you more regular. With the water, my doctor told me that I should drink 64 ounces of water a day. I don't think that it will hurt you if you drink that much water a day because the baby does need lots of water but I don't think you really need quite that much. Make sure to drink milk for the calcium that you needs for your bones and the growing of the baby.

Answer 2

The best person to answer this question would be your doctor. They would know your health and prenatal care needs best.

I was told to drink 2 gallons of water a day, when I was younger, that is 128 ounces of water daily. I had been told to do this to help keep me hydrated because of my allergies. So what may be normal for one is not for another. Most who heard that about me say I have heard it is good to drink a gallon of water a day but never heard of the 2.

Everyone is different and it is NEVER good to drink to much water at one time. If you have kept up on the news the woman from that radio contest learned this lesson the hard way.

So you need to learn what your personal bodies needs are. Check with your doctor.

Answer 3

dont drink too much water if ur not thirsty only when ur thirsty Drinking too much water can lead to a condition known as water intoxication and to a related problem resulting from the dilution of sodium in the body, hyponatremia. Water intoxication is most commonly seen in infants under six months of age and sometimes in athletes. A baby can get water intoxication as a result of drinking several bottles of water a day or from drinking infant formula that has been diluted too much. Athletes can also suffer from water intoxication. Athletes sweat heavily, losing both water and electrolytes. Water intoxication and hyponatremia result when a dehydrated person drinks too much water without the accompanying electrolytes. What Happens During Water Intoxication? When too much water enters the body's cells, the tissues swell with the excess fluid. Your cells maintain a specific concentration gradient, so excess water outside the cells (the serum) draws sodium from within the cells out into the serum in an attempt to re-establish the necessary concentration. As more water accumulates, the serum sodium concentration drops -- a condition known as hyponatremia. The other way cells try to regain the electrolyte balance is for water outside the cells to rush into the cells via osmosis. The movement of water across a semipermeable membrane from higher to lower concentration is called osmosis. Although electrolytes are more concentrated inside the cells than outside, the water outside the cells is 'more concentrated' or 'less dilute' since it contains fewer electrolytes. Both electrolytes and water move across the cell membrane in an effort to balance concentration. Theoretically, cells could swell to the point of bursting. From the cell's point of view, water intoxication produces the same effects as would result from drowning in fresh water. Electrolyte imbalance and tissue swelling can cause an irregular heartbeat, allow fluid to enter the lungs, and may cause fluttering eyelids. Swelling puts pressure on the brain and nerves, which can cause behaviors resembling alcohol intoxication. Swelling of brain tissues can cause seizures, coma and ultimately death unless water intake is restricted and a hypertonic saline (salt) solution is administered. If treatment is given before tissue swelling causes too much cellular damage, then a complete recovery can be expected within a few days. It's Not How Much You Drink, It's How Fast You Drink It! The kidneys of a healthy adult can process fifteen liters of water a day! You are unlikely to suffer from water intoxication, even if you drink a lot of water, as long as you drink over time as opposed to intaking an enormous volume at one time. As a general guideline, most adults need about three quarts of fluid each day. Much of that water comes from food, so 8-12 eight ounce glasses a day is a common recommended intake. You may need more water if the weather is very warm or very dry, if you are exercising, or if you are taking certain medications. The bottom line is this: it's possible to drink too much water, but unless you are running a marathon or an infant, water intoxication is a very uncommon condition. Hope i helped (:

Answer 4

There is NO such thing as drinking too much water. Whatever you take in and you don't need, goes right out.

I also have terrible constipation, and I can assure you that drinking lots of water is a great way to combat it. Also, I'd recommend cutting back on veggies, especially gas causing ones, as they tend to jam things up for a while.

I don't know exactly how much I drink, but I drink a gallon of water at work over an 8.5 hour day, not including the 12 oz bottle of water I down at the gym at lunch or the two cups of decaf coffee I drink. When I get home, I drink at least 2 tall glasses of water and have 1 cup of decaf tea. I try to limit my intake as the day goes on, as I don't like being woken up to pee, and I'm up to 2-3 times a night as it is.

The weekends are tougher, but I've taken to drinking as much as I can possibly can, when I can, because I know it's hard to find time to drink when I'm busy. Hope this helps!

Answer 5

That amount does seem excessive, especially with the risk of water intoxication.
I would definitely drink less than 2 liters a day. My doctor told me that was too much for me to drink, and I'm not even pregnant and needing the extra fluid! I would definitely drink enough, though, so that you're peeing clear. That's always a good sign that any toxins are being flushed from your body and that's a good thing.

Answer 6

The lady who died recently from water intoxication was drinking an incredible about of water, and wasn't allowed to go pee (It was a radio-sponsored contest of a video game console). As long as you are peeing to get rid of the excess, I would not worry about how much water your are drinking at try to get AT LEAST 8 8oz glasses a day, that's really what everyone should get, but you can always have more.

Answer 7

water intoxication happens when you drink too much water at once or in a short period of time. 8oz. every hour will not hurt you and is not excessive. my doc. told me the same thing, but he also suggested instead of ALL water, i drink 8 glasses of plain water, and then another 5 glasses or so of a fruit juice like Juicy Juice, because it's just fruit juice and water. you will get a different taste than plain water, which can old fast, and the fruit juice has vitamins you benefit from, too. 8oz. of real Juicy Juice is one serving of fruit, too. 8oz. sounds like a lot, but if you actually measure it, it's not much at all. you can get a measuring cup that measures ounces at the grocery store. i can drink 8oz. in six big swallows, especially while i'm eating. you will gain some weight due to the water weight, but you will lose it soon after baby is born and your fluid intake decreases.

Answer 8

You shouldnt drink more than 8 glasses a day, unless you want to die of water intoxication like the other lady did on the news a week ago. 8 oz every hour is DEFINITELY way too much water.

Answer 9

I don't know about pregnancy and how that would relate but that one lady died in California from drinking too much water. It thins out your blood so much that and it's almost like you're drunk. I also know that when I was in BootCamp they liked us to drink water but we had to make sure we didn't drink more than 10 quarts a day because of over-hydration. I would keep drinking water but you don't need to have that much.

Answer 10

No, that doesn't sound like too much, however I would not drink more than that. Did you hear about the mom that died from drinking almost 2 gallons of water? Of course that was from drinking a good amount in small intervals.So please make sure you spread it out throughout the day! I, myself drink about 96oz. a day. It helps so much with my skin and keeping everything cleared out.

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