While a lot of emphasis is placed on nutritional supplements for women during pregnancy, one often overlooked element of maternal health for the mother and her child is drinking enough water. A new report from researchers at Penn State University found that two out of three expectant mothers are not reaching the recommended levels of hydration.

According to the American Pregnancy Association and The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, maternal under-hydration during pregnancy is associated the possibility of many negative birth outcomes. Among them are disrupted fetal brain development, low birth weight, and low levels of adequate amniotic fluid and plasma.

National guidelines show pregnant women should be consuming between 1.9 and 3 liters of water every day. That range takes into account the weight of the mother, how far she is into her pregnancy, her physical activity level and the climate associated with her location.

A survey of 137 pregnant women by the Penn State College of Health and Human Development revealed that many were unaware of how much water they should consume and were not tracking their water intake, despite the risk to her and her developing child. Nearly two-thirds of the women were not aware of the hydration recommendations and a slightly higher total were were not meeting that threshold.

"Pregnant women do not need to panic about hydration, but it is important to consume enough fluids," said Danielle Symons Downs, associate director of the Penn State Social Science Research Institute. "Hydration is important to the health of both the mother and fetus—especially as the pregnancy progresses into the second and third trimester when women need more water to form amniotic fluid, carry nutrients, and enhance digestion. Our prior work has also shown that hydration levels can impact fetal birth weight."

When asked during the survey about why they might not be drinking enough water, many women responded by saying they were not wanting to increase their frequency of urination, or that they were not thirsty of were forgetful about drinking more.

"Overall, these results point to a gap in the messaging we provide to pregnant women and in the awareness of expecting mothers," researcher Abigail Pauley said. "Fortunately, our other results showed that there might be a low-cost and low-burden way to address the problem for many women."

Click here to read more in the journal PLOS Digital Health.