Depending on where you live, the summer months can be brutal. Heat and humidity collude to dehydrate the human body, potentially posing a health risk. You may not even know that you’re dehydrated, but you can check for tell-tale signs here.

For pregnant women, staying hydrated could be trickier than it is for others. Hormonal changes can bring on morning sickness, and excessive vomiting can lead to the loss of fluids. However, most pregnant women won’t become dehydrated this way, but drinking sufficient amounts of water is still very important during pregnancy. Pregnant women need to be well hydrated for their own good health and to ensure the healthy development of the fetus, who has metabolic needs that should be met when the mother is appropriately hydrated. There is some evidence that the mother’s water intake during pregnancy influences the amniotic fluid volume, but more research is needed.

Drinking sufficient amounts of water can help with other conditions that pregnant women experience. The risk of constipation, urinary tract infections, low levels of amniotic fluid,  and intermittent, weak contractions known as Braxton-Hicks contractions, can be lowered by drinking fluids. General guidelines recommend that individuals consume between 6 and 8 glasses of water daily, but how much water to drink depends on many factors, so make this a talking point during your next doctor’s appointment or call your doctor’s office and ask.