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Adaptations in body fluid pools during pregnancy were monitored in cows (n = 19) assigned to either low (LO, 70% NRC total feed intake) or high (HI, 110% NRC total feed intake) nutritional level (sudangrass hay) and to either shade (S) or no shade (NS) treatments in a 2 x 2 factorial experiment. Body water distribution (empty body water [EBW] by urea dilution; extracellular water [ECW] by thiosulfate dilution; intracellular water [ICW] by difference; plasma volume by Evans Blue dilution; interstitial water [ISW] by difference) was measured at 4-wk intervals beginning at 3 mo of pregnancy until birth and then immediately after birth. Both EBW and ICW in LO cows showed a steady decline (P < or = .05), whereas HI cows tended to maintain these body pools throughout gestation. Shading did not affect the pattern of change in EBW; however, it did produce a greater (P < or = .05) ICW in the S than in the NS cows throughout gestation. Generally, other body fluid pools (ECW, ISW, and plasma) were either not affected, or were just slightly affected, by shading or nutrition. Most of the body fluid pools (EBW, ECW, ICW, and ISW) inversely followed the seasonal changes in solar radiation. Calf birth weights were not affected by treatments but were moderately correlated to EBW (r = .49; P < or = .05) and ICW (r = .50; P < or = .05). Plasma urea nitrogen change, although not affected by nutrition, was affected (P < or = .05) by shading.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)