One of the greatest certainties of pregnancy is that your need to pee will skyrocket while you wait to give birth. All day, all night, all always, many pregnant women will remind themselves of rivers.
What causes it?
Frequent urination is a problem that affects women throughout their pregnancy, and for a variety of reasons. Beginning in the first trimester, pregnancy hormones tell your body to start retaining far more fluids, and circulating a much greater amount of blood. These extra liquids end up in the bladder eventually, and are excreted as urine. Later in the pregnancy, your growing baby and womb can press against your bladder, encouraging your need to pee even more. However, UTIs could also cause more freuqent urination, so you should contact your healthcare provider if you think you might have one.
Tips?
First and most importantly, it’s probably not a good idea cut down on your fluid intake as a means to curb the frequent need to pee. Staying properly hydrated is vital for both you and your baby, throughout your pregnancy. Cutting out or down on caffeine could help reduce the frequency with which you need to pee, but the increase is pretty inevitable. It’s probably a good idea to avoid drinking too many fluids before bedtime, as this will result in a never-ending workout of bed-to-bathroom sprints. You should also try to avoid fluids that irritate your bladder, like carbonated beverages and caffeine.
Doing kegels are another great way to help you contain the liquids, and will strengthen your labor muscles!
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Sources
- “Frequent urination.” March of Dimes. March of Dimes, 12/13/2015. Web.
