You’re excited about embarking on a pregnancy as you build the family of your dreams, but the idea of navigating a hot summer for two (or three or four) isn’t as appealing.
The reality is that high heat can be concerning for pregnant women and their fetuses, which is why Dr. Fernando Otero and the team at Women’s Clinic of the Rio Grande Valley want to share some great strategies for beating the heat during pregnancy.
If you’ve been paying attention to the news, you’ll notice that heat waves are becoming the new norm around the world. In fact, average summer temperatures have risen 2.6℉ since 1970 in the United States alone.
While folks in Texas are used to high heat days, the increase in temps is leading to even higher heat days, and more of them, which is especially challenging for pregnant women.
Aside from comfort issues — heat can hit a lot harder when you’re pregnant — there are health concerns that we want you to avoid, such as:
In fact, exposure to high heat during pregnancy, even just one day, can increase your risks for high blood pressure disorders.
No matter where you are in your pregnancy, there are a few steps all pregnant women should take when the temps rise, including:
Under normal circumstances, pregnant women should drink about 8-12 cups of water each day (about 64-96 ounces). During the summer, it’s a good idea to increase this since your body relies on water to keep your cooling system going through sweating.
If it’s a high heat day, we prefer that you stay inside with some comfortable air conditioning, at least during the higher heat hours — usually later afternoon. Whether you have AC or not, it’s also a good idea to draw your shades so that the sun isn’t coming through the windows and heating your house. And some strategically placed fans can also go a long way toward beating the heat.
If you do need to go out, make sure to cover up and protect yourself from additional sun exposure, which can really heat you.
It’s a great practice to find ways to get into some cold water during the summer. If you have access to a pool, lake, or ocean, that’s great. If you don’t, even a few minutes of cold showers can make a big difference.
Another great hack is to dunk your feet in some ice water, which can cool you from the ground up.
When you retreat indoors on hot days, go a step further by elevating your legs to help combat ankle swelling, which can really flare in high heat.
If you’re out on a hot day and you start feeling woozy or faint, get to somewhere cooler and drink some water. In other words, we want you to pay close attention to how your body is responding to the heat so that you can respond in kind. And always err on the side of caution and get out of the heat if you’re feeling anything strange.
There are plenty more tips we can provide to help you beat the heat during pregnancy, and we’re happy to share them.
To learn more, we invite you to contact one of our offices in McAllen or Edinburg, Texas, to schedule a consultation.
