How to Keep Cool in the Heat When Pregnant
Pregnancy during hot weather can be challenging, so it’s important to take precautions to ensure you stay safe and avoid any heat-related illnesses throughout the summer period. Overheating while pregnant is a real health concern, as it can lead to heat exhaustion, heatstroke, and dehydration, and can potentially cause issues for your baby.
As the UK braces for a scorching summer Louise Broadbridge, resident expert midwife at Your Baby Club and founder of Let’s Talk Birth and Baby, has provided tips to help you beat the heat this summer.
Keep a water bottle handy at all times
It’s really important to avoid dehydration when you’re pregnant so make sure you drink lots of fluids and always have a bottle of water with you when it is hot. If you’re going out, put your water bottle in the freezer beforehand, just make sure it isn’t filled to the top. Your frozen water will gradually defrost, keeping it cold for longer and you can use the bottle to help cool you down by placing it against your neck, wrists or forehead.
Choose natural fibres
What you wear can have a big impact on how well you cope in the heat. During pregnancy, your body temperature is slightly raised so you are likely to struggle more on hot summer days. Avoid wearing tight clothing and synthetic materials and pick loose, light items made from natural fibres instead. Clothes made from cotton, linen, hemp or bamboo are breathable so they allow air to pass through them, allowing any sweat to be released and helping to keep you cool.
Stay in the shade
If you usually enjoy working on your tan when the sun is out, you might be disappointed to learn that sunbathing in pregnancy is not a good idea. Changes in your hormones mean you are more likely to become sunburnt, which can cause dehydration. Play it safe by staying in the shade as much as you can and avoiding going out between 11am and 3pm – the hottest time of the day. Keep a small umbrella in your handbag to use as a parasol so you can stay in the shade no matter where you are.
Cool down your pulse points
When you’re feeling really hot and bothered, put your wrists into the stream of cold running water. This will provide some much-needed relief as your wrists are a pulse point and cooling them down will help lower your body temperature. Your body’s other pulse points include the back of your neck, behind your knees and elbows, the top of your feet and your ankles. Adding a cold wet flannel to these areas can help cool you down quickly as can putting your feet into a bowl of cold water.
Add plants to your home
Keeping your home cool will make it much easier to cope during the summer. Using a fan will help keep air circulating but investing in some house plants can also cool your home. When it is hot, plants will release excess water into the atmosphere, cooling both themselves and their surroundings. Palms are a particularly good choice as they are low maintenance and very effective at replenishing the moisture in the air. As plants convert carbon dioxide into oxygen, adding more greenery will make the air in your home purer too.
