How to Survive a Summer Pregnancy

Baby, it's HOT outside!

Baby, it’s HOT outside! It’s about that time of year that people are over summer, and are looking forward to sweaters and pumpkins and changing leaves. With today’s high of 108 degrees, I know I am!

This heat might feel worse to you if you are pregnant. You are carrying more weight than you normally do, your feet might be swollen, and you just can’t get comfortable at night. If you are early in your pregnancy, the heat can exacerbate the drowsiness that dominates your first trimester. 

So here are some tips to surviving this heat, my pregnant friends!

1. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate! With baby pressing on your bladder, you may feel like you are always in the restroom, but that is no reason to hold off on drinking water. Staying well hydrated is important to prevent complications like low amniotic fluid, birth defects, and premature labor. Constipation, a common pregnancy woe, can worsen if you don’t stay hydrated. Eating foods with high water content, like watermelon, cucumber, lettuce, celery, radishes, bell peppers, and grapefruit can be helpful as temperatures rise. You can also avoid foods with caffeine, which acts as a diuretic and removes water from the body.

2. Enjoy the A/C. When temperatures soar, avoid strenuous exercise, which increases your body temperature and makes you sweat out water. Instead, put your feet up and enjoy the air conditioning. Before long you’ll be on your baby’s schedule, so when it's this hot outside, exercise your ability to relax!

3. Embrace the positives. If you’ve read my blog posts, you know that I’m a fan of “flipping the script.” What is a positive way of viewing a difficult or seemingly negative situation?

​Try to get on board with this positive thinking about having a baby in the summertime:

• When you go into labor, you don’t have to worry about inclement weather. When heading to the hospital or birth center, you don’t have to wonder  about whether or not the streets have been plowed or if there is ice on the road. If you are birthing at home, you don't have to wonder if your midwife or doula will be able to get to your house.
• By the time cold and flu season arrive, your baby will be several months old and will have some natural immunity built up. If you are breastfeeding, your baby gets the added bonus of immunity from your breastmilk.
• By the time ski season is in full swing, you might feel ready to leave your baby for a few hours to hit the slopes.
• When celebrating the holidays, you can have some wine at dinner, or some champagne on New Year’s Eve! 
• When you plan your baby’s first birthday, you won't be limited to indoor venues. Although if next year is as hot as this year, it might be too hot for a party at the park . . . 

Stay cool, everyone!

Today's high in Boise

I am a certified labor (birth) doula and professional postpartum doula serving clients in Boise, Eagle, Meridian, Nampa, and the Greater Treasure Valley.
Whether you are due this summer or winter, it's not too late to hire your doula! 

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