Coping With the Heat in Pregnancy

Dr. Smita Vats talking about managing pregnancy


Hello I am Dr. Smita Vats and I am a practicing gynecologist at Gurgaon. So my areas of specific interest are gynae- laparoscopic surgeries, treatment of gynae disorders like uterine fibroids, Ovariances, Endometriosis, infertility and high risk pregnancy. So today I will be giving a few suggestions to how to keep cool in summers while you are pregnant. So summers in India can be very hot and bother some time for most people and this version during pregnancy because during pregnancy the basal body temperature is already high and the increased heat and humidity outside can even make you more uncomfortable. Hence it becomes important to take a few steps to maintain your hydration and to keep your well-being during summers.

The first and the foremost thing which is the most important is that you can do to deal with hot weather is to maintain a good amount of liquid intake that is take at least 8-10 glasses of water every day. If it is difficult for you to consume plain water you can maybe add a little bit of mint or lime or slice of orange or whatever you like, whatever kind of flavor that you like to it. And take at least one glass of water for every hour that you are outside in the sun. So whenever you are going out carry a water bottle with you and make sure that you consume at least a glass of water every one hour or so and also minimize your intake of tea, coffee, and other caffeinated drinks because they make your body lose a lot of water as well as salt and electrolytes which can make you dehydrated and make you feel really sick.

Apart from drinking the right things, it is also important to eat right in pregnancy and you should be taking frequent small meals. Avoid very heavy, spicy, and oily food and instead of taking three large meals make sure that you eat a little amount everyone in the half to two hours so that you are not over-eating also and you are comfortable also. Apart from that to deal with heat of the summers make sure that you eat a lot of fruits and vegetables. Juicy fruits watermelon, melon, coconut etcetera, cucumber and all these things which contain a lot of water are a good suggestion for intake during the summer months and just avoid a lot of oily and spicy foods.

Then, when you are going out in the sun make sure that you don’t go out during the very hot part of the day that is between 12 to 4 pm. So plan your outside activities either in the early mornings or in the late evenings. If at all you need to go out in the sun between 12 to 4 pm make sure you keep drinking a lot of water in between and whenever you fell exhausted or you feel dehydrated or you are feeling nauseous or giddy or have any kind of discomfort make sure that you get back into the home, lie down for a while and consume a glass of water or any other liquid and maybe keep a wet cloth on your forehead or something just to make you feel better. If all these things don’t make you feel better than it is the time to contact your doctor and take a proper treatment for that.

For any other regarding pregnancy care, you can contact me at my clinic or at this main online query at the lybrate.com.