Why do I need potassium?
Potassium is a mineral that helps maintain your body's fluid balance. Since blood volume expands during pregnancy by up to 50 percent, slighly more sodium, potassium, and chloride are needed to maintain the extra fluid volume. Potassium also helps regulate blood pressure, nerve impulses, and muscle contractions.

How much do I need?

There is no RDA for adults, but a minimum requirement of 2,000 milligrams (mg) during pregnancy has been established; for a nursing mom it's 2,500 mg per day.

Should I take a supplement?
Most prenatal vitamins contain potassium. But it's usually fairly easy to obtain all the potassium you need in food because fruits and vegetables contain high amounts.

What are the best food sources?

Potassium is found in bananas, oranges, watermelon, cantaloupe, vegetables, meats, milk, grains, and legumes. To give you a sense of how easy it is to obtain from your daily diet, we've listed the milligram count in some foods, below:

 1 medium baked potato: 844.4 mg

 8 oz. prune juice: 706.6 mg

 1 avocado: 602 mg

 1 cup raisins: 575 mg

 10 dried apricots: 482 mg

 3 oz. Coho salmon: 453.9 mg

 1 medium banana: 451.4 mg

 1 cup mushrooms: 277.7 mg