Tips/tricks on Drinking Enough Water

Try drinking distilled water. I get it by the gallon at the grocery store for 75¢. It seems to go down smoother and it tastes better!

They have these big jugs you can buy which contain all the water you should drink in a day. Try filling one of those up and keep it with you all day!

use a container for iced tea/with a spicket, in the fridge so it's cold, then put in lemon or lime, strawberries... whatever you like to 'spice' it up a bit. THEN always have a glass around where you are.

I find that I can drink more water if it is room temperature. I don't love water, but I love my babies so like anything else we have to do as moms that we don't love...we simply do it. Every time I nurse, I drink an eight ounce glass of water. It just became part of my routine. I check the diaper, nurse, burp, diaper, and drink a glass of water (gulp it down). I found after a while it was easy and my milk production did tons better and water didn't bother me anymore. They say it takes 21 days to make a habit. :)

I like the Lipton Ice Tea To Go packets.
http://www.liptont.com/our_products/iced_tea_to_go/index....
They are no calorie flavor packets that can be very refreshing if plain water is getting boring.
Caffeine is a diuretic, so coffee and some teas are not good.
There are plenty of teas that have no caffeine and are fine.
Traditional Medicinals has some teas that are very good:
http://www.worldpantry.com/cgi-bin/ncommerce3/CategoryDis...

Only drink water, you will eventually get used to the taste, try keeping some in the refrigerator so that you have cold water available, you can also add a twist of lemon. Your morning coffee or tea counts as part of your daily water intake.

Or, if your not drinking because you are just not thirtsty, you can eat more salty nuts or pretzels then you will want a drink of water LOL.

I like water, but I have a hard time remembering to drink anything. I keep bottles of Propel flavored waters at my desk at work, and I just polish them off while I'm sitting on my butt all day. I go through periods of wanting nothing to drink, so I try to take advantage when I'm open to it. Also, I drink it at room temperature...goes down much more quickly and smoothly.

Another thing that helps me is to eat wet foods--oranges, grapes, plums, watermelons, cooked greens (drink the juice). It's no substitute, but it helps when you have a particular afternoon when you just can't force the water down. Oh, and I have put a tiny bit of powdered lemonade into my water on occasion--not enough to make it a glass/bottle of lemonade, but just enough to add a little flavor.

Hi R.,

I am so late reading this but thought I should reply to your question. It is very important while breastfeeding to make sure you get your water intake up. Best advice I can give is to get an 8 ounce cup and drink every time you breastfeed. This should get your recommended amt. in. Fruit juice is NOT the same as drinking water. It will not hydrate you. It is easier to drink more if not really cold. Drinking in 8oz proportions doesn't feel overwhelming. This was the only way I could get it down when nursing. Now, I just get 4-5 16-20oz bottles each day and make sure I drink through the day. Find the easiest way for you to measure and you will soon find it is a no brainer to get it all in.

You can add fun things to it to make it more appealing until your body is used to just drinking water. I like lemon wedges -just cut off a slice and put the rest in a baggie in fridge till the next time. Also you can freeze fruit juice with a strawberry, blueberry, raspberry in ice cube trays and then pop a couple of these in your glass. In the summer I freeze my water bottles with about 2 inches of water - then fill with water when needed and its always cold.

Too make sure you get your required allotment of water you can put a 2 quart jar or pitcher on the counter and make sure it is gone before bed. Water is important - keep up your good efforts to get it in.:) PS Tea and coffee are not good replacements - being like diuretics they make you lose more so you need to drink more.

Get a big water bottle and keep it with you all day long! I nursed three and I like water but sometimes I would go through phases where I really had to be conscience of my water intake. Also do what the other ladies said and put lemon or some sort of fruit in your water to help flavor it. Get a water bottle that has a straw attachment they say that you will drink more water if you drink it through a straw and I find this to be very true rather than guzzling it down you are less likely to drink as much. Hope this helps!

Hi R.,

I agree on having a water bottle everywhere and even around the house it will help to know how much you are getting, make it easier to drink. However, especially while you are nursing, stay away from artificial sweeteners like Propel. I recommend fresh lemons squeezed into your water b/c the lemon juice in a bottle contains sodium benzoate and it is harmful to ingest that while nursing. I also prefer water that is room temperature, b/c I can get more down that way.

Try filling up a bottle and put it in the refrigerator overnight. When you get up in the morning, the first thing you should do is chug that bottle of water. Don't have coffee first, don't have anything. Make sure you drink your water before you eat or drink anything else. Before you know it, you'll be craving that morning water. Also, get yourself a reusable water bottle and keep it filled up and nearby at all times. I understand what you are going through. I've been there. Lastly, most people are dehydrated all of the time. When we are dehydrated, we think we are hungry and eat. I don't know if you are a snacker but when I have enough water in one day, I never snack and eat A LOT less! Just force it in the morning, you'll get your day off to a good start and drink more water because of it.

I am the same way about drinking water. So I started buying Crystal Light individual packets. They come in all different kinds of flavors. I just add them to my water bottles and they add a great taste to the water. Both my kids like them also.

As for the quality of water, I would recommend installing a reverse osmosis water filter in your house. This can be done on a large scale for your entire home, or on a small scale in your kitchen. I think the drinking spout filters for the kitchen range in price from $100 to $400 or so.

As for the taste of water, I drink a lot of hot tea throughout the day. I use one tea bag and refill it with water many, many times throughout the day. If you like the flavor of lemons, you can put lemon (or lime) slices in your water too. I also use lemon essential oils and add a few drops to my water to make it taste fresh.

Keep an aluminum bottle that is large enough to hold at least 24 ozs (3 glasses) of water next to the chair you most frequently sit in to nurse. If it is there where you are stuck sitting for long periods you will see it and drink it. I don't like our water very much either but the aluminum alters the taste. Keeping it filled keeps me drinking and a bottle with a lid means I don't have to worry one of the other kids or pets will knock it over. Plus it has the bonus of being environmentally-friendly and cheaper than bottled water!

I add lemon juice to my water and it has to be SUPER cold or I can't drink it.

You could also tell your self if you finish this glass you can have a treat like 5 on the computer or something to eat.

R., you're not alone. Most Americans are dehydrated all the time, and don't even realize it. As a culture, we've gotten away from the habit of drinking plenty of clean, mineral rich water. And it's no wonder, what with how awful most tap water tastes. Our public water utilities are designed to clean out the bugs and bacteria, but there's a lot more than that (like pharmaceuticals, for instance) going into our water supplies these days, And most bottled waters are just over-priced tap water, with the added hazard of chemicals from the plastic bottles leached into the water when it gets hot.

I'm glad you have a filter--that helps. But most filters don't get everything, and if they do, they take out all the good stuff with the bad. That's why Nikken developed a two-step water purification system that first cleans the water to the criteria established by the American National Standards Institute and National Sanitary Foundations (ANSI/NSF). ANSI/NSF testing certifies that Nikken's Pi-Mag Water System meets or exceeds the standards specified in ANSI/NSF 42 and 53 for chlorine reduction, cyst reduction, lead reduction, (yes, there is lead in our water supplies), turbidity reduction, taste and odor reduction.

The next step puts minerals and nutrients back in our water, and using natural magnetics, de-clusters the water cells, making the water more absorbable by our bodies. The result is delicious, satisfying water.

I used to drink lots of soda and iced tea, but since I got my Nikken Pi-Mag Water System, I crave water instead. I've lost some weight, and I feel much better now that my body is properly hydrated. Also, guests to my home have often commented that my coffee is the best they've ever tasted. I use it for all my cooking, and it has saved me money at the grocery store. I clean and soak all my fresh produce in it, and they stay fresh longer. I don't throw out spoiled fruits and vegetables anymore.

If you'd like to learn more about it, please visit www.nikken.com/brendaramsey and go to the "Shop Now" tab. Look under Environmental Solutions, and you'll find the link for Pi-Mag Water Technology. The prices listed are retail, but if you'll contact me, I'll let you you how you can get your best price.

B.

I love water. Use a straw. keep it where you sit, stand or vehicle. I like it warm and cold. good luck!

I am pregnant and water hits my stomach hard and makes me gag sometimes. But I must drink it......I love lemon in it and it adds extra benefits like vitamin C. Try freezing lemon juice in an ice cube tray and adding a few along with your ice. Also, I don't know how good Gatorade is for us, but I have had to use it so much for this pregnancy just to get liquid to stay down (when I get tired of lemon water) I buy the powder and put enough to flavor a little, not even the whole suggested amount (trying to not consume too many calories)
Also a simple calendar page on the fridge can be marked on to show how many you did that day. Good luck

It really doesn't have to be just water. Drink tea. Lemonade. Have a beer at night-that one was recommend by my ob/gyn-relaxes you,let's your milk down,everyone sleeps. Even Coke is mostly water-depends on how you feel about sodas and nursing. I drank diet soft drinks while I was nursing and all 3of my kids have made it to teenager-hood without any serious damage. Milk will also work. Even better-chocolate milk! Don't think of it as "having to drink water"' -all you really need to do is keep hydrated with any liquids you want. Good luck!

I browsed some of the other responses. Sorry this response is late. I've been on vacation.

What my mom does is put on 8 bangle bracelets (or 8 hair ties, 8 rubber bands, whatever you want) on her LEFT hand when she wakes up. As she drinks a whole glass of water, she puts a bracelet on her RIGHT hand. So her goal is to have all the bracelets (8 glasses of water) to her right hand before the day is up. It's an easy way to count the number of glasses you've had.

fruit juice also works for several reasons ha.

Fill up a big bottle and take it around with you everywhere OR before you nurse, have a big glass of water (at least 8oz). Since you nurse often, you should meet your intake requirement well if you do that every time.

Have you tried mixing it with something that you might like?

I had a college professor with a doctorate in food science. She said that water is water is water. A molecule of water is still water whether it's in a glass of water, caffeine free tea, an apple or a piece of turkey. So mix it up a little and get your H20 in other places as well.