By Hannah Schenker
When you are pregnant, it’s easier to feel hotter than usual as your body is incubating your little one and there’s all sorts of extra blood flow going on too (40% more than usual!). Yes, you are a portable heater. It’s hot and uncomfortable, especially in the second and third trimesters. This can be awesome in the winter months, but over summer – not so much. You’re going to want to find ways to keep cool and as comfortable as you can, especially for the evil month of February! Here are 8 tips for surviving a summer pregnancy.
Put your feet up
You really don’t need any excuse – so get those tootsies up and relax. Swollen feet and ankles are pretty common in the later stages of pregnancy and when you add heat to the equation – bye bye shoes. Whenever you sit down, put your feet up and take the pressure off your precious feet. Next level: add some kind of cooling (put some damp tea towels in the freezer and when you sit down, wrap them around your ankles). You might even want to sleep with your feet up on some rolled up towels or blankets. If you turn into a sausage overnight (rather than gradual) get yourself to the Doctor for a checkup. If you notice it starting gradually, remove your rings before your fingers make them too tight. Reducing your sodium (salt) intake will help with the whole swollen, water-retention business too.
Top up those liquids
Hydration is so super important – we all know that. So have plenty of cooled drinks at the ready for you to slurp away at all day long. You really do need to drink more than usual – but it can help with some of the aches and pains and swelling. You need to be replacing the electrolytes lost in all the sweating. As usual you should stick with water or something near-enough to it (lemon water, iced herbal tea, coconut water). You could also up the intake of yummy water-filled foods like cucumber and melons.
Submerge yourself whenever possible
When you’re not drinking water, get in it. Swimming whenever you can will be great for your circulation, for cooling, for taking the weight pressure off your feet and legs and for pleasure! It’s definitely worth the long waddle across the sand. If you can’t get yourself to the water, then bring the water to you: make bottles of chilled water and spritz and spray yourself all day long – carry it with you wherever you go, have it beside the bed at night. A spritz of cold mist on your face and the back of your neck will feel fantastic – and you could do this while putting your feet up (have your minions run around bringing you all your goodies). Another quick cool-off you can do at home is put your wrists under the cold tap for 2-3 mins – it hits the veins close to the surface and supposedly helps you to cool down – a great idea for just before going to bed. Finally, there’s always a quick cool shower.
