From experience, a summer pregnancy is totally different than a winter one–I found myself fatigued more easily, I lost my breath more frequently, and the difficult task of shaving my legs had to be completed more often. Instead of dwelling on the challenges, I focused on ways to beat the heat. Here are some coping methods.
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Freeze Your Fruit
Frozen fruit is a quick and healthy treat to bring down your body temperature. It even worked for me during bouts of extreme morning sickness. A few of my faves: peaches, grapes and mango.
Plan Wisely
Do your best to run any errands and complete any outdoor chores first thing in the morning or later in the evening, so you can avoid schlepping around during the day's peak heat.
Stay Inside
When the heat and humidity become oppressive, just stay inside–preferably where it's air conditioned. I even kept my curtains and shades drawn to avoid the afternoon sun heating up my house.
Cool Your Car
Whenever possible, start your car and get it cooled off before you get in. Interior temperatures in cars can be 10 or 15 degrees warmer than the actual high temperature for the day, and depending on where you live, can often top 100 degrees. No one should sit in that, let alone a pregnant woman.
Take a Dip
Whether you do it in an indoor pool, outdoor pool or the ocean, it'll help bring down your body temp and has the added benefit of soothing your muscles and joints.
Slather on Sunscreen
Cancer risk aside, even if you've never burned before, you could when you're pregnant. All those extra hormones can make your skin extra sensitive, which could lead to burning. Even if you don't burn, the hormones can also increase your melanin production, and combined with unprotected sun exposure can exacerbate melasma–a darkening of the skin common during pregnancy.
Don't Forget Repellent
Although I tried to avoid using chemicals on my body, I did use bug repellent when necessary. You should know that chemicals like DEET have been shown to cross the placenta, but the risk of contracting a disease like West Nile or Lyme's likely outweighs any potential effects on your baby. Just use the lowest effective percentage of chemical or maybe even try a natural version, limit use to instances of prolonged exposure and do not inhale the spray.
Put Your Feet Up
As the temperature rises, swelling is a major concern for pregnant women. Although it could indicate a larger issue such as high blood pressure, it can also just be a big, uncomfortable nuisance. Keep it under control by putting your feet up whenever you're sitting–it'll help reduce the pressure on your blood vessels, which can minimize the swelling.
Bring Water Everywhere
The heat can speed up the dehydration process, so to avoid that (and keep other nasty pregnancy symptoms under control), fill a reusable cup or bottle with ice and top it off with water to carry throughout the day. It helps keep you cool and hydrated.
Make Mocktails
I missed refreshing, fruity cocktails and ice cold beer this summer, so when I really got a hankering I turned to mocktails and other flavorful, hydrating beverages liked iced tea with mint and lime, lemonade with fresh fruit, virgin sangria and seltzer water with cranberry juice and citrus.
Consider Your Wardrobe
1. It's too hot to wear leggings. 2. Maternity shorts suck. 3. Nude is ideal, but not practical. Solution: dresses. Okay, obviously I couldn't wear a dress every single day so I did have some maternity shorts and lightweight, loose-fitting pants, but mostly I wanted to be in easy, breezy dresses. Buy several in super-soft, light fabrics and just keep rotating them. You'll thank me later.
When all else fails...
Eat ice cream. I know, it's cliche, but I'm starting to think of ice cream as God's gift to pregnant women. I ate some almost every day with my last pregnancy–at first because it was one of the few things I could keep down and then because it was the perfect treat to cool me down on a hot day. Plus, a serving of full-fat dairy per day is actually recommended for pregnant women by many physicians. So really, it's good for the baby.
