Pregnancy Hydration Guide
Daily water goal for pregnancy and breastfeeding. Free, private and instant.
How to use the Pregnancy Hydration
- Choose stage: First trimester, Second trimester, Third trimester or Breastfeeding.
- Enter gentle exercise per day (minutes).
- Choose climate: Temperate, Hot and humid (e.g. Bangladesh summer) or Very hot.
- Choose vomiting or heavy sweating: No or Yes, some days.
- Press Calculate to get an instant result with a colour scale, chart and plain-English explanation.
About the Pregnancy Hydration
Your blood volume rises by about half in pregnancy, so you need more fluid. This guide gives a daily drinking goal of about 2.3 litres (3.1 litres while breastfeeding), adjusted for exercise, hot humid weather and vomiting, and suggests how to spread it through the day.
Also known as: pregnancy water intake calculator, water while pregnant, hydration in pregnancy, how much water when pregnant.
Worked example
- Stage: Second trimester
- Gentle exercise per day: 30 minutes
- Climate: Temperate
- Vomiting or heavy sweating: No
Daily fluid goal: 2.7 litres (11 glasses of 250 ml). Aim for about 2.7 litres of drinks a day (11 glasses). Pregnancy increases blood volume, so you need more fluid than usual.
- Base (pregnancy / breastfeeding): 2,300 ml
- Exercise add-on: 350 ml
- Climate add-on: 0 ml
- Vomiting / sweat add-on: 0 ml
Formula and cut-offs
Drinks target = 2.3 L (pregnancy) or 3.1 L (breastfeeding) + 350 ml per 30 min of exercise + climate add-on (0, 500, 1,000 ml) + 500 ml if vomiting or heavy sweating.
Frequently asked questions
How much water should I drink while pregnant?
About 2.3 litres (around 9 glasses) of fluids a day, more in hot weather or if you exercise.
Does dehydration affect pregnancy?
Mild dehydration can cause headaches, cramps and contractions. Severe dehydration needs medical care.
Do tea and milk count?
Yes. Water, milk, soups and fruit all count; limit caffeine to 200 mg a day.
Sources and references
- ACOG Committee Opinion 700 - Methods for estimating the due date
- Institute of Medicine (2009) - Weight Gain During Pregnancy: Reexamining the Guidelines
- NHS - Pregnancy guide
Written and checked by the MediHub editorial team against the sources above. Read how we build and review our calculators.
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Last updated . This calculator is for education only and is not medical advice. See the medical disclaimer.