Pregnancy brings many changes to your body. One that is unavoidable is the need to drink more water, resulting in more frequent urination. People often find this stressful. There are ways to make things easier on yourself. Read on to learn more.

The Purpose of Urination

When your body uses protein for energy, it produces a waste product called urea, which must be eliminated through the urine, or toxic amounts will build up in the blood and make you sick. The kidneys also maintain the proper balance of salts and minerals by excreting excess amounts into the urine.

Causes of Frequent Urination During Pregnancy

An increase in the hormones progesterone and human chorionic gonadotropin is the cause early in pregnancy. As the baby grows, it will take up more space in your pelvic area. Once you hit the third trimester, the baby will press on your bladder, giving it less room to hold urine and triggering the feeling that you need to pee more often.

You can expect to be urinating more frequently than before you got pregnant, but if you experience pain when peeing or anything else that worries you, talk to your doctor about it, as it could be a sign of another health problem.

Reducing Stress

Since peeing more often is unavoidable in a healthy pregnancy, how can we manage the stress that comes with it? Reducing bladder irritation, not holding it for too long, and getting a stand-to- pee device are a few things you can do to make things easier on yourself.

Drink Enough Healthy Liquids

While people think withholding liquids reduces frequent urination during pregnancy, it can make things worse. Restricting water doesn't change the amount of waste your body needs to remove, so salts become more concentrated in the bladder, causing irritation and an increased need to urinate.

The best strategy for reducing bladder irritation is to stay evenly hydrated throughout the day.

• Honor your body's thirst cues.
• When your urine is a pale yellow color, you are drinking enough.
• Avoid diuretic beverages. Caffeine and sugary drinks (including juice) are one of the causes of more frequent urination.
• Ask someone to remind you to drink water often.
• Get multiple easy-to-carry water bottles with straws.

Don't Hold it For Too Long

Holding it when you have to pee is irritating to the bladder. Doing it too much can lead to problems such as urinary tract infections (UTIs) or incontinence.

Invest in a Stand-to-Pee Device

Investing in a stand-to-pee device makes it easier to urinate when you need to.

Peeing in Public

As discussed in a previous article, there need to be more sanitary bathrooms in most public places. If you are urinating more frequently, a stand-to-pee device like the pStyle can reduce stress in several ways.

• Easier and quicker to go because you don't have to remove clothing.
• There is no need to sit on an unsanitary seat.
• If you have to go in a natural setting, you won't need to squat or remove clothing to pee.
• You can use it to pee into a bottle in a public place. This way, it is modest and not destructive to public property.

At Home

Most people don't worry about sanitation at home, but it can still be inconvenient to sit down and get back up from the toilet every time you pee.

Frequent urination at night can disturb your sleep, especially as pregnancy progresses. If you have a long walk to the bathroom, get a secure collection device and keep it by the bedside. You can use your stand-to-pee device to pee into it at night and empty it into the toilet in the morning. Or use it as fertilizer for your garden plants.

You Can Do It!

Frequent urination is crucial to keeping you and your baby healthy. To make it easy, stay hydrated, ask for help and support from those around you, and invest in a stand-to-pee device to make it easier to go when needed.

Learn more about how pStyle can help you and reach out with your questions.

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