Drinking Pedialyte in Pregnancy: Is it SAFE or Not?
Short Answer: Pedialyte is good for dehydration, but not enough for pregnancy. Dehydration is a condition that affects your fluid balance and electrolyte levels in your body. In dehydration, your body loses more water and minerals than it takes in. This can lead to various health problems, such as low blood pressure, dizziness, headaches, constipation, cramps, and premature labor. One of the key factors in managing dehydration is diet. What you consume can affect your hydration status, which can impact your dehydration symptoms and overall health. To effectively manage dehydration, you should consume fluids and electrolytes rich foods and drinks like water, coconut water, broth, fruits, and vegetables and avoid caffeine, alcohol, and sugary drinks like soda and juice. Now, pedialyte is a drink that contains water, sugar, and electrolytes such as sodium, potassium, chloride, zinc, and citrate. People usually drink pedialyte when they are dehydrated due to vomiting, diarrhea, fever, or excessive sweating. Pedialyte is good for dehydration because it contains electrolytes that help to restore the fluid balance in your body. However, pedialyte is not specifically designed for pregnancy and may not provide enough calories or nutrients for you and your baby. One 8-ounce serving of pedialyte can give you about 10% of your daily sodium needs, 8% of your daily potassium needs, 9% of your daily chloride needs, 10% of your daily zinc needs, and 4% of your daily citrate needs. It also contains 25 grams of sugar and 100 calories. Sodium can help to maintain blood