Does cold water affect baby in womb?

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4. Effects of drinking cold water during pregnancy

I do not really drink cold drinks before I was pregnant, but now I am starting to crave for cold drinks and ice cream. My gynae told me that no matter hot or cold drinks, as long as you get fluid into your body, all is good. It is better than avoiding to drink all together. I had serious dehydration during my 1st 3 mths due to super bad vomitting symptions. And could not even sip any amount of water. The only thing I could do was to suck on ice-cubes, such that the melted water will drip drop by drop into my body! That was the only way to get fluid to my body and I recovered cause of that! Of cause, my parents and parents-in-law would always advice not to drink or to cut down on cold drinks as the coldness will cause contraction etc and also they say the baby will be weaker after birth. Especially our womb needs to be warm for a better environment for the child. So all in all, I still think drinking a little cold stuff is ok, just not too much. Most importantly is to get the appropriate amount of water each day to your body!

Table of Contents Show

• Ask Our Careline
• Should you have cold water or cold drinks during pregnancy?
• Drinking cold water is thought to increase the risk of stomach pain during pregnancy. Is that true?
• So, even if you are drinking cold water, how much quantity can you have?

I hear its a myth... I myself is taking cold drinks, icecream, yoghurt... But after hearing the negative issues regards to cold stuff, to counter this "cold", I ate 3 pieces of the red dates daily to "heat" up myself. My first pregnancy had no issue. I took cold ice fruit juice daily and my kid was out 3 days after his EDD. I did not take the red dates that time...

Not sure how true it that is bad for the fetus and our health as my mum described it but I went ahead like Angela, I had ice cream, yoghurt, ice water and even bubble tea. But do avoid fizzy carbonated drinks like soft drinks which contain high level of sugar.

Mums need to drink more fluids during pregnancy to compensate for their increased blood volume and the fluid surrounding the baby. It is recommended that pregnant women should drink an extra 1-2 glasses a day, so ideally about 8-10 glasses in total each day. Pregnant mums are usually advised not to drink cold water / drinks because it can cause the child she is carrying to be large or may cause miscarriage. However, scientifically, it is always safe to consume cold drinks. Whatever temperature the food or drinks is, when it reaches the stomach and intestine, it will change to body temperature. So taking cold drinks will not affect your growing baby. But always remember moderation is the key. Mums should definitely keep water intake at a higher ratio than sodas and other beverages. It can keep your body hydrated and help cleanse too. Avoid gassy/ carbonated cold drinks, especially the artificial sweetened ones. Carbonated drinks are one of the common triggers of heartburn. Instead of taking cold carbonated drinks, a pregnant women can take cold milk and dairy products that provide a large amount of calcium needed to build the baby's bones and teeth. Carbonated sodas contain caffeine, which in large amounts has been linked to miscarriage and also they are the source of empty calories only!

From the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) perspective, drinking warm water is general considered ideal for all, not just for pregnant mothers. It is believed that having excessive cold beverages causes spleen Qi deficiency and stomach cold. This in turn leads to poor appetite, sluggish digestion, abdominal pains and cramps or even diarrhea. This can be undesirable for pregnant mothers as the growing foetus requires large amounts of vitamins and nutrients from the mother's body. It is thus not advisable for pregnant mothers with weak and cold spleen and stomach functions to take cold drinks. Although drinking cold drinks in moderation is considered safe for most pregnant mothers, it is best to first understand your body constitution before taking cold drinks and foods.

I think intake cold water should be ok. During my 1st pregnancy, I'm really a good girl, no ice water, ice-cream nor coffee. Then during my 2nd pregnancy, haha... lot of cold items & coffee & seafood. Both kids come out healthy.

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To ensure you have a healthy pregnancy, there are certain dos and don’ts that doctors may advise you to keep in mind. This means you also need to take care of what you eat and drink like avoiding alcohol and caffeine.

Express Parenting got in touch with Dr Sangeeta Pikale, consultant gynaecologist and  obstetrician, S L Raheja Hospital to know if it is safe.

Should you have cold water or cold drinks during pregnancy?

It is absolutely safe. Pregnancy is an extension of the physiological body and not any sickness. So, all that your body was used to or capable of doing before the pregnancy, can be done during pregnancy too. So, if you were drinking cold water or juice before pregnancy you can continue doing so. Overall, any drink that is unhealthy like aerated drinks, too much of soda or sugar, which everyone should avoid, is also not suitable for a pregnant woman either. An occasional cold drink is permissible for everybody and therefore, for pregnant women too.

Drinking cold water is thought to increase the risk of stomach pain during pregnancy. Is that true?

The physiology of pregnancy makes the movement of the gut slower. So, anything you consume that causes some irritation will obviously show more symptoms in case of pregnancy. But there is no truth to cold water causing stomach pain. There is a response to extreme cold and extreme hot foods right in your mouth with all sensory areas working perfectly fine. What goes into your mouth will get diluted along the oesophagus into your stomach and so, it will not pain. You may get a pain when you have too much of aerated drink but that holds true for even a non-pregnant person. The pregnant woman would not react any differently except that stasis can be longer.

Also Read| Is it safe to eat papaya during pregnancy? A doctor answers

So, even if you are drinking cold water, how much quantity can you have?

If you are used to a limit, pregnancy won’t make it different. If you are not used to it then you are not going to experiment with it during this period. What you normally do before pregnancy can usually be continued very safely up to 22 weeks of pregnancy. Of course, you need the supervision of the doctor to know if the particular pregnancy is not high-risk. A low-risk healthy pregnancy can take everything that is physiologically permissible in the non-pregnant state.