Summertime Pregnancy
One of the most difficult and uncomfortable times for any pregnant woman is summertime in Phoenix. We congratulate those of you who either got lucky enough to only be in the beginnings of your pregnancy during the summer or, even better, planned it that way.
The summer heat is NOT any more dangerous to a pregnant woman and/or her unborn child than it is to any of us. The big difference is how we all tolerate the heat. As any pregnant woman will attest, summer to a pregnant woman is like being “cooked” from inside and out. A woman’s womb generates heat just like the analogy of a “baby in the oven”. In fact, the water that the baby is swimming in generates an average of 102 degrees just by itself. Add this internal “cooker” to the outside temperature of 110 in Phoenix and even the healthiest of pregnant women will be uncomfortable.
The heat can present many problems to a pregnant woman, but the most dangerous and the easiest treated is dehydration. We all lose quite a bit of our body’s fluids through our skin. We don’t even realize it. It’s not just the sweat that we feel and see, but also what is called insensible water loss. In our dry conditions, we lose fluid every minute of everyday from out skin and from our breathing. This loss of fluid can result in everything from fatigue to dizziness to headache to fainting. In extreme times, being low on fluid in your body can cause you to have labor pains and even result in early labor when your baby is not ready to be born.
The answer is simple. DRINK, DRINK, DRINK. Water is the best. It can be the flavored waters or the waters with vitamins added. It doesn’t have to be bottled water or filtered water. It just has to be water. Juices and milk are acceptable as well. Sodas and energy drinks may taste better and quench your thirst better, but they aren’t recommended in pregnancy. You definitely want to avoid caffeine and excessive sugar while you are pregnant.
How much you should drink depends upon how active you are and how much you are exposed to the heat. The old recommendation was at least eight (8) eight ounce glasses of water every day, but for most of us living in this heat, that is NOT enough. The best way to know if you are well hydrated is to listen to your body. If you are thirsty all the time, if your mouth is always dry, if your skin is dry, then you need more fluids. Our kidneys and our brain make us feel those ways to make up for not having enough fluid in our body. Another way to tell if you need more fluid is how your urine looks and smells. Our kidneys, among other things, manage our fluids in our bodies. When we need more fluid, our kidneys will try to conserve fluid and keep more for the body and put less in our bladders. So if we are low on fluids and need more fluid, our urine will look dark and tend to have a strong odor to it. You want your urine to look like water when you go to the bathroom While dark urine is not always a sign of bad things, in general you want your urine as clear as possible. Dark urine can represent everything from infection to toxemia to hepatitis. Always try to drink enough to make your urine clear.
I know. I know. You drink a lot and you live in the bathroom. Trips to the bathroom are definitely not a way to know if you have plenty of fluid in your body. While my recommendations will probably make your trips increase, it’s the best for your baby.
If you can keep yourself hydrated, most of the other problems of summer in Phoenix will be less likely to happen. The heat alone can make you light headed and even cause fainting, so limit your time in the sun. Use something to shade yourself like an umbrella. Use sunscreen all the time, even when you’re not in the direct sunlight.
To keep cool, swimming is fine while you’re pregnant. The only time that swimming would ever come into question would be if you believe that your water may have broken or if you are actually in labor. Many hospitals now allow women to labor in bathtubs and/or Jacuzzi tubs. While the tub in a hospital is more likely to be cleaner than a public swimming pool, it is very unlikely that water from a pool or tub will ever enter into the vagina. The cooling effect and the weightless feeling of a swimming pool is ideal for pregnant women. Water aerobics classes are another way of staying cool and getting some exercise.
The only other way to stay cool in the summer is to seek out air conditioned places that help you pass the time better than staying home. Such places as libraries, enclosed shopping malls, and the refrigerated section of your nearest food store are ideal places for cooling off. Remember, no matter where you are, you are still losing fluids through your skin and you need to keep drinking. If you do need to be outside, try to consolidate these activities in the cooler part of the days. In general, morning is better. The sun tends to rise sooner in the summer and gives everyone an early start when it hasn’t gotten too hot. In this part of the Southwest, it is not uncommon to still be 100 degrees outside at 10:00 pm. Morning is better.
So remember, stay hydrated, stay cool, and stay shaded.
-- Dr. Plimpton
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