Keep your cool while pregnant

How to avoid overheating and remain comfortable when you’re pregnant during the hotter summer months

Night time

If your bump is keeping you awake, either because you are finding it difficult to get comfortable – or because your little one is deciding to dance about just when you’re trying to sleep, hot weather can add to the misery of night times. Here are a few things you can do to help you get some sleep.

Before turning in, have a cool bath or shower and then just blot your skin but don’t dry off properly. The remaining moisture on your skin will evaporate gradually, taking some of the heat with it. Wear as little as possible – a soft structured bra and comfy pants should be all you need.

During the day, keep blinds or curtains drawn to keep the temperature down in the bedroom and turn on air conditioning – though be aware that this can be drying, so make sure you are drinking plenty of water and have a jug and glass on your bedside table.

Have a fan in your bedroom to keep the air circulating or a cooling unit such as the Dyson Pure Cool Link which not only cools the air but purifies it too.

Having electronic devices in the bedroom can cause disturbed sleep patterns and looking at a screen before bed can interfere with feeling drowsy. While it won’t keep you cooler, leaving devices out of the bedroom will increase your chances of falling asleep.

Treat your feet

Your feet are one of the places on the body that suffers most when you’re pregnant, pounding hot streets and taking the extra weight of your baby. So treat them whenever you can.

Invest in a foot spa and run it on a cold setting to cool your tootsies. Add a softening cream to the water to help you remove dry, dead skin afterwards. Treat yourself to regular pedicures on the basis that you can’t reach to do your toes anyway!

If you don’t have a foot spa, a basin of cold water can work just as well – you can even add a few ice cubes. Keeping your hands and feet cool helps with cooling the whole of your body, as the cooler blood from the extremities makes its way around your body.

Look for cooling and indulgent leg and foot creams. Those containing peppermint and eucalyptus can help calm over heated feet and shins.

If you’re playing with toddlers and children in the garden, dunk your feet in the paddling pool or swimming pool from time to time.

When you’re not rushing about, working or looking after children, make sure you rest with your feet up as much as you can. Pregnancy can cause swollen ankles and the best cures for this are to keep exercising (see our feature on what exercise is safe to do in pregnancy) and to raise the feet.

Well supported

Make sure feet are well supported by choosing cool sandals that have instep and heel padding. There are plenty of great choices, so you won’t have to substitute style for comfort.

Cooling hints

Further up the body, you can use a water spray on your face and neck – see our top picks below – or even just hold ice cubes to the pulse points on your wrists and to the back of your neck. A cool pack used for physiotherapy is also a good investment – look for those that can also be warmed, to use on your lower back if you get aches and pains.

Fans are your friends

When you’re out and about, keep an old-school fan in your bag to keep the air moving around you –especially useful at the theatre or on public transport.

Alternatively, you could buy a small battery operated fan – just don’t use it in the quietest moments of a play or opera!

Moisturise me

Keeping hydrated is always important while you’re pregnant but doubly so when it’s hot out. Drink plenty of cold, iced water, fruit juice (well diluted with water is best, to avoid tooth decay and the extra sugar) or if you get bored, look for low-sugar cordials and drinks or iced tea to have a change. Chilled fresh mint tea is also a good choice. It’s best to avoid drinks with caffeine in them – cola is an obvious one to avoid, but look out for drinks labelled ‘sports’ or ‘isotonic’ as these often contain caffeine too.

Tame your tresses

If you have long hair, wear it piled up on your head to keep it off your neck. This will help you feel cooler. A hat can also help keep the strong sun off your head and neck if you’re out of doors for a while.

In the swim

One of the best exercises for pregnancy is swimming and it can double up as a way to keep you cool too. Don’t plunge straight into cold water – especially in an unheated pool – but rather edge in gently to get acclimatised. A sudden jump into cold water might make you feel faint. A dip in the pool, a lido or the sea early in the morning and later afternoon will help you feel cooler all day. If you’re swimming in the sea, make sure you are aware of currents and potential hazards, especially in an unfamiliar place.

Timing is everything

The hottest part of the day is midday, so if you do have to go out, try to leave the house early before it gets too hot or choose the evening instead. Try to emulate our southern European cousins by taking a siesta at the hottest part of the day.

Skin protection

As always, make sure your skin is protected with a good quality sun cream of factor 30 or above and be sure that it protects against both UVA and UVB rays. During pregnancy, you will want to avoid as many chemicals as you can as they are absorbed through the skin, so look out for organic and natural products.

 

 

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