What to drink when water is off the table?

[Tropicaliyes]

I’m 6 weeks pregnant and keeping my fluids up is not going well at all! I’m usually a water drinker but this year for some reason I have been struggling with my usual water.

I started drinking tea a few months ago and went from black, to white, to green then to decaf green I liked the taste of however as soon as I got pregnant I knew I would have to watch the caffeine in the tea so I intended to cut down but suddenly they started tasting horrible! I was drinking them with plant based milk as I didn’t like the strong taste of tea to start with and the milk made it somewhat palatable however I went off the taste of that so started drinking them plain with a little date syrup. Ultimately I went off that too so now I don’t drink any tea full stop.

I have been totally off chocolate since I have been pregnant so that also excluded drinking chocolate.

I thought maybe I will try some flavoured fizzy water so bought dash water and I hate it, even tried mixing it with orange juice and hated that more!

I don’t like coconut water as it made my stomach upset even before pregnancy so haven’t bothered during.

I don’t drink squash as I grew up with a Vomiting disorder and that’s what I would drink when sick so I could bring something other than acid up when being sick so obviously now the thought turns my stomach as it reminds me of being sick!

I have never been a fan of sodas but have found very few like sparkling fruit juices to be okay but haven’t found any lately.

I have been trying to eat things like watermelon or cucumber or things with a high water content but I know it’s not doing much!

I will take some folic acid with a swig of water when I wake up, will maybe take some sips throughout the day and a little before bed but all in all its most certainly under 500mls of fluids (most likely 200-300mls)!

I was going to go to one of those IV hydration places that have popped up around the place however when I inquired recently they said they won’t treat me as I’m pregnant!

I really don’t know what to try now.. tried boiling some fruits in water and then letting it cool and refrigerated and it tasted too much like a dilute juice it wasn’t for me (my gf drank it). When I was looking for herbal teas that I haven’t tried they say to stay away from most during pregnancy also!

I bought some pure orange juice which I am fine with drinking however it’s really sweet and I’m not a sweet person (been off sugar also) so I can only drink small amounts so not the answer to my fluid needs.

Has anyone else had a issue drinking water and if so what did you find to keep yourself hydrated?

I don’t think it helps that I was left dehydrated from years of sickness before this anyway so now I’m dealing with the repercussions.

Try filtering your water or try still mineral water. You need water that doesn’t have other stuff in, as it is cleansing.

We get 10L boxes of Highland spring, don’t drink tap but regardless of what type of water I am still having issues with it!

You might just have to suck it up. I'm not enjoying much and always leaves a weird metallic after taste but I've got to drink!

I went off water too and drank loads of milk instead. Then got a craving for chocolate milk. Eventually found orange and mango squash bearable and now at 39 weeks I can't get enough of Ribena. Only been able to drink a decaf coffee for the past 6 weeks or so and in the last 3 weeks I can stomach a cup of tea. Really difficult when you know you need to hydrate and everything is really unappealing.

Flavoured still water? Tesco do some lovely flavours, pear and plum is nice. Personally find dash water horrible but enjoy supermarket versions

Ice lollies. I must have eaten 3-4 a day when pregnant

I'm 27 weeks pregnant and I had really bad sickness in my 1st trimester this time round and water seemed to really trigger being sick for me.

I actually found Ribena and appetiser easier to keep down and I also craved milk. I would have never of thought of appetiser but my friend who was further ahead of me said she couldn't get enough of it in her 1st trimester. And surprisingly it helped me too.

Mint tea was my saving grace with all my pregnancies!

@Crimsonripple yeah I can’t just suck it up because it has never sat right in my stomach and if I just gulp it down or drink regardless of how I feel it makes me nauseous. I would vomit water often growing up if I just ignored how I felt.

@tb4122 I have never liked squash and then chocolate anything has also been a horrible thought! I haven’t had any craving yet so nothing has gotten me over that hump yet! I find I cannot drink if I don’t eat and I haven’t really been eating well either so that could be my issue.. been having bladder pains for a few weeks now so I’m sure a UTI is on the way most likely because of my lack of fluids.

I forgot to mention I did have a surgical feeding tube I pulled out earlier this year as I was in so much pain with an infection and the hospital wasn’t doing much to help me so now I have made my life so much harder as that would have been one way I’m getting my fluids in 🤦🏽‍♀️

Belvoir ginger cordial is good - not too sweet at all, and tastes lovely.

Flat ginger ale was my solution.

Redbush tea?

@Blush21 oh I need to have a look for some… we don’t have Tescos round here.. mainly those extra stores however many years ago I would get a flavoured sparkling water from Co-op that I didn’t mind.. I think they stopped doing them a very long time ago now and other shops don’t seem to have much to offer now. Also I hadn’t tried dash so this was the first time and I guess it’s okay if you like soda water as it has that weird taste (kind of like Andrews).

@Orangesare I have been off anything sweet lately.. not even managing normal orange juice as I usually would.. not sure what the issue is but just isn’t for me now.. what ice lollies did you have and were they sweet? I use to eat rocket lollies but I cut out sugar a while ago and now everything seems so overly sweet it’s almost sickly!

@xxxemzyxxx oh i haven’t had appletizer since I was a child! I am not a Apple juice fan but I haven’t had say a sparkling apple juice for so long I don’t even know how I feel about it lol. Ribena I also have never quite liked so I know that won’t change but the appletizer I will give a try

@Mommabear20 when you say mint tea do you mean like peppermint tea? I keep getting really conflicting answers when I’m looking for safe teas in Pregnancy with most saying not to drink peppermint tea as it can cause uterine contractions but then I will find others saying it works wonders for morning sickness and I’m very confused! I am yet to see a midwife and ask what is actually okay but are you saying it is actually okay? Because I feel like I have had to give up all teas during pregnancy just because of the risk of miscarriage! It’s quite frustrating.

@Talipesmum i have never heard of that, I’m not a far of ginger but does it taste like ginger? I know that sounds like a stupid question but I find ginger really harsh and burney so avoid it at all costs!

@JellyfishandShells again does ginger ale taste like ginger.. never had it because of my dislike in ginger.

@Tomorrowisalatterday that also has caffeine in it doesn’t it? I know I can only have 200mgs of caffeine a day and so when I eventually Went of tea I felt a little relieved as almost all of them have caffeine and I could only drink a small amount anyway

Can you tell us why you had a feeding tube?

Fevertree refreshingly light premium lemonade

Redbush tea is caffeine free. I drank loads during pregnancy.

Drink milk/milkshake. Milk is good for you. Try different flavours if you don't like chocolate.

What about fresh orange/apple juice? Not sure if you said you tried that.

What about bubble teas?

Oh just drink the water and stop being so ridiculous. How the hell are you going to role model healthy eating/drinking to your kid if you can’t even drink a glass of tap water?

You can buy ice Lollie molds (tiger has them or Amazon) and make your own with a bit of fresh juice and water.
So you could tone down the sweetness till you get to a flavour you like.
If you like the taste of something like cinnamon or fennel you can make ice lollies with that dissolved in water also.
Also tomatoes with salt are good.

My solution was caffeine-free Diet Coke when I was pregnant.

Bottle Green elderflower cordial with sparkling water is lovely and doesn't taste like squash (and no sweeteners). Blood orange soda water is nice too.

When I was pregnant I craved badoit mineral water. It's slightly sparking and slightly salty so probably satisfying a salt craving.

I've cold lime cordial was the only thing I could stomach... my mum was exactly the same apparently

Ice

I found the cold infusion tea bag great at the start when I couldn't drink water or tea - I'd not tried them before but they are sugar free unlike squash so worth a go