After giving birth to her child, a woman in the UK felt dizzy, nauseated and suffered a seizure.Due to her excessive water intake during labor, she had hyponatremia.Although there aren't any clear guidelines regarding fluid intake during pregnancy, too much can often prove fatal.For more stories, visit Insider's homepage.A 33-year old woman had so many drinks during childbirth that she felt faint, started vomiting, and suffered a seizure shortly after giving birth to her baby.Doctors initially thought she was suffering from eclampsia. This is a serious high-blood pressure condition that can cause seizures and even coma during pregnancy.They discovered hyponatremia (an electrolyte imbalance due to excessive water intake) was the culprit.The report was published in BMJ Case Reports, June by the authors. It aims to raise awareness about the dangers of excessive fluid consumption during pregnancy.The woman was otherwise well, but fluid intake wasn’t closely monitoredThe first-time UK mother was healthy going into labor. At 41 weeks, she began to feel contractions and then vomited at her home. She was discharged from the hospital.She remained in the first stage, which is when the cervix softens and opens up, for 14 hours. She vomited all through the process and was encouraged by her doctor to drink fluids to make up for it.Within 24 hours of her contractions starting, she started pushing and delivered a boy with the help oxytocin within one hour.The new mom felt faint again 20 minutes later and then vomited once more before experiencing a brief seizure. Since, clinicians started treating her for eclampsia since they wrote that "in most, but not all cases, postpartum seizures are eclampsia until proved otherwise." The woman also had high blood pressure, which is another sign of eclampsia.However, blood tests revealed that she had low sodium levels which was a sign of excessive hydration. Doctors discovered that she had consumed approximately five to six liters of fluid in a single day, which is more than twice her daily intake, as her clinicians encouraged her to drink water.Continue the storyIt turned out that her baby also suffered from hyponatremia.Both were given sodium-balancers and discharged the following day.Hyponatremia is most well-known among endurance athletesAlthough most people drink too little water, there are times when they need to drink more. Hyponatremia is most common in endurance athletes who drink too much water and not enough electrolytes while exercising. A Grand Canyon hiker died after becoming ill from dehydration.Research suggests that hyponatremia can also be caused by depression and addictions. This could be due to the effects of medications and stress levels. According to US News & World Report, people with eating disorders may also drink water to suppress their hunger or hide their low weight from doctors.There aren’t any universal guidelines for how much water you should drink during labor.This case study and others highlight the importance of hyponatremia in laboring patients.The body retains more water during pregnancy. The body retains more water during pregnancy. Oxytocin is commonly used to accelerate labor. The authors state that these factors could increase hyponatremia risk during and after childbirth.The authors note that there are no clear guidelines regarding how much fluid should be consumed during labor. They only specify how much fluid is administered via an IV. The World Health Organization emphasizes the importance of respecting women's eating and drinking preferences during labor. It doesn't seem like restricting intake pays off.According to the study authors, clinicians should take note of patients' fluid intake and encourage laboring women to consume electrolytes.Insider has the original article.
