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As any pregnant woman will tell you being pregnant during the hot months of summer can be down right miserable. Most pregnant women experience an increase in body temperature and a decrease in their tolerance for warm conditions. This combination makes the heat and humidity of summer almost unbearable. Some women will even go so far as to try to time their pregnancy so that they are either not pregnant at all or only in very early pregnancy during the hot months.
The heat and sun of summer can pose a few health risks during pregnancy in addition to the discomfort you may face. Some of the health risks include over-exposure to the sun, dehydration and heat exhaustion. It is important to remember that during pregnancy your tolerance for the sun and heat may not be as great as it was pre-pregnancy.
There are a few things you can do to help keep yourself safe and cool during the dog days of summer:
- Always dress appropriately. Make sure your clothes are loose fitting, breathable, and light weight.
- Stay hydrated. Keep a bottle of water handy at all times. Drink frequently throughout the day. Don’t wait until you feel thirsty, you may be dehydrated already by that point. If you feel like you may be dehydrated contact your doctor.
- Always wear sunscreen. It is important to reapply sunscreen frequently when you are out in the sun, especially if you are in and out of the water or sweating.
- Don’t spend too much time out in the direct sun. Try to stay in shady areas; and wear clothing that protects your skin and a hat to keep the sun off your face, neck and head.
- Don’t over do it when it is hot out. Know your limits. Remember you are pregnant and may not be able to handle the heat as well as you did before you got pregnant.
- If you feel like you may have over done it go inside to a cool, air conditioned room and lay down. If you still don’t feel good after a little while call your doctor.
The summer can be filled with great experiences and tons of fun. Being pregnant doesn’t have to change that. Just remember to stay cool, hydrated and comfortable. Most importantly enjoy yourself.
If you have any questions you should consult your doctor or midwife.
It has been a while since I posted something about my daughter and my life as a mom. Where does the time go? She is almost 8 months old and a total joy. It seems that every day she is changing, learning something new, getting bigger and adding more joy to our lives. It still feels like just yesterday that we were bringing her home from the hospital.
Some of the new things she has learned lately include rolling over, scooting herself backwards while on her tummy, sitting up all by herself and learning to say “mama” and “dada”. For the longest time she wouldn’t roll over, then one day she rolled over accidentally and got all excited. It was like she was thinking, “hey I can do this, cool.” A few days later she was rolling over all the time. When she is on her tummy she can now spin around to get something she wants or push herself backwards. A few times she has ended up a good 5-6 feet away from her play area! You can see her trying to figure out what she needs to do to move forward. I’m sure sometime in the next couple of months she’ll be crawling.
She is a very vocal baby. She is always babbling, squealing, screaming, laughing, giggling, you name it. When she was about 5 months old she learned how to say “mama”. It was the most darling sound. Then last week she learned how to say “dada”. I don’t think she really knows what they mean yet, although she does break out the “mama” when she wants or needs something.
We have fallen into a pretty good routine. She has been sleeping through the night for several months now. Bedtime for her is around 7pm. Usually I will feed her between 6:45 and 7, then she is in her crib by 7:30 usually. Wake up time ranges any where from 5:30 to about 6:30. Her room can get pretty bright in the morning so I think that tends wake her up because on cloudy mornings she usually sleeps in a bit. She isn’t the greatest napper (well she naps well she just doesn’t fall asleep for her naps well!), but usually takes two naps a day that range from 1-2 hours each.
I am still breastfeeding and it is still going very well. We introduced solids when she was about 6 months old and she gets 2 little solid meals a day. My plan is to continue breastfeeding until she is about a year old. At that point I’ll begin to slowly wean her. She will not take a bottle at all so I am beginning to teach her how to drink from a cup. That is going OK. I figure by starting now hopefully by the time I am ready to wean she will be a champ.
Being a mom is even more enjoyable than I thought it would be. Each new milestone is so much fun to witness. My husband and I continue to love and enjoy being around our little girl more and more everyday.