If you kept up your water intake in pregnancy you will know how much better you can feel. We all have a tendency to forget about having drinks until we're thirsty, when really, having smaller drinks here or there is better for our bodies and even helps things like our concentration levels.
Why do I need to drink more when I'm breastfeeding?
Just as you need to slightly increase your calorie intake, water is important to keep you refuelled when your body is making milk. At the height of breastfeeding you will be giving your child around 8floz of milk per feed.
How much water should I drink when I am producing milk
You should drink about eight regular-sized tumblers' worth of fluids a day. Count fluids as water, milk, juice or watery soups but do not include in that count any tea, coffee or the occasional glass of alcohol you might have. Coffee and tea can have a dehydrating effect, as can alcohol.
If you find it hard to keep track of what you have drunk, carry around a bottle of water which you can sip from through the day, and then you can see how you are doing. Or make a jug of juice for yourself and return to it in the fridge through the day until it's gone.
Although you are making milk yourself, it doesn't have to be milk that you are drinking. However, if you don't like milk very much, as with pregnancy, find other sources of calcium for your own health anyway.
If you are worried about water retention and post-pregnancy weight gain bare this in mind: your body will retain water when you are NOT drinking enough. Keep up your fluids and the problem will go away.
Don't drink too much
Although making sure you have enough (eight to ten glasses per day), avoid drinking much more than 12 glasses each day, as you can hamper milk production and overload your body's system.
If the weather is warmer, you will be able to sense your thirst telling you to drink more. Additionally, if the weather is warm and you have not urinated for a few hours, that is another sign that you need to be drinking more hydrating liquids.
