How to Stay Cool in the Summer When You're Pregnant
☀️ My youngest was two weeks overdue during the hottest summer EVER. But isn’t that what every mom surviving a summer pregnancy is thinking, lol? We did not have air conditioning, and although it’s now been well over 20 years, those sweltering memories are still vivid in my mind.
🥵 During pregnancy, women are already feeling extra warm because of their hormonal changes and increased blood flow. Then when the weather turns hot, midwives gather all the tricks to help their miserable mamas stay a little more comfortable and guard against dehydration and overheating.
Here are the strategies that helped me get through my own hot, pregnant July, and that I share now with mamas as their midwife:
Take advantage of public air conditioning if the heat index is high and your home relies on the breeze. There may be great opportunities to linger in the cool at your public library, mall, museums, movie houses, or coffee/tea shops.
Stay hydrated with frequent drinks of pure water, iced pregnancy tea (here’s simple directions with my Herbal Tea Essentials mini-course), homemade fruit or tea popsicles, and fruits and veggies with high water content. How about icy cantaloupe (90%), strawberries (91%), watermelon (92% water), cucumbers (95%), or even lettuce (95%)?
If you dislike plain water, make sure you are using tasty, purified water (my water blog here for more info), and/or add a squeeze of any citrus, or float frozen fruit slices for flavor.
Avoid dehydrating drinks by skipping sodas, energy drinks, sugary beverages including sweetened juices, and (sorry), coffee. (These are best avoided in pregnancy period.)
UP your salt,DO NOT reduce salt intake! (No matter WHAT WebMD says!! 🙄). The use of unrefined salt is documented to prevent edema and help keep blood pressure normal. I cover this in great (and well-documented detail) in my birth education course, Navigating Birth.
Use water to help cool down and moderate body heat: frequent showers, swimming, wading, or get a quick refresh by soaking your feet in cool water. (I used them all during my second pregnancy, this was at a near-by waterpark we’d hit up after dinner.)
Never underestimate the relief a cool, damp washclothcan bring to your forehead, back of neck, or even the top of your head.
Wear loose, light colored clothes in breathable fabric. Avoid sunglasses but use shade to your advantage. Being under leafy trees are a huge health benefit in their own right, but an old-fashioned large brimmed floppy hat has done the job for generations.
Exercise more moderately and before or after the heat of the day; it’s extra important when the heat index is high to for pregnant women to avoid exercising to point of overheating
Feet up and rest when you can! These simple actions are so undervalued. Even getting your “feet up on something as high as your hips” for 10 minutes every 2 hours can seem impossible in a busy world, but its essential to help your body regroup and be under less strain while it is doing the big work of building a baby.
A small, personal fan will help you have a breeze wherever you are!
As you might imagine, many of these simple techniques have seen many mothers through sweltering summers. You’ll find your own favorites - DO take good care of yourself; at least you’ll get some bragging rights down the road!