Water Quality During Pregnancy

Most people know that water is very important and essential to human life. Drinking water alone can improve or decrease your level of health. Drinking enough water is integral to good health, and if you want to see an immediate result, drink eight 8 ounce glasses of water today and you will see your energy level sky rocket. But what if the water is contaminated?

At first glance, contaminated water is better than no water- to a degree. I guess it all depends on what you mean by "contaminated." I'm not just talking about protozoa and poop that creeps into our water systems. Have you thought about the other stuff in your water- lead, mercury, nitrates, fluoride, chloroform, trihalomethanes, etc.? During pregnancy this information becomes very important, not only for your own health and your fetus's health, but also your future newborn and toddler's health. Drinking tap water from a water fountain occasionally is not going to "get" you, but for your continuous water needs, you should think about the best source and method of getting safe water. This is especially important when you are pregnant.

For excellent information on drinking water and what to watch out for, visit the Campaign for Safe and Affordable Drinking Water. One important article from that site is Protecting Vulnerable People From Drinking Water Disease and Illnesses. Vulnerable people include

• People undergoing chemotherapy or living with HIV/AIDS
• Transplant patients
• Children and infants
• The frail elderly
• Pregnant women and their fetuses

For information about lead, you can visit the Campaign's page on Lead. For the dangers of fluoride, which is added to our drinking water in the US, you can visit our fluoride resource.

There are many other on-line sources of information available if you search for it. For more information  and to learn what to do about the water you are drinking and bathing in, please visit http://www.waterwise-distillers.com/water-comparison.htm.

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