Some mothers won’t do it even if they’re paid. There’s no way that they’ll be in the late stages of pregnancy in the summer, and they’ll time their conception date to ensure this, as holding a baby inside you while outside it’s crazy hot isn’t easy.
Even without being pregnant, dealing with the Israeli summer is terribly hard. You need to leave an air-conditioned home to go into the scorching sun and high humidity. It’s almost impossible to breathe, and sweating ... it’s like you’re raining on yourself. All your symptoms become much more complex and stressful when you add an advanced pregnancy to them.
So how can you find relief during pregnancy when it’s so hot outside? We prepared an extremely important survival guide.
Drink water, and drink more
The standard recommendation is to drink two liters of water a day during the summer, about 10 glasses of water, and you as a pregnant woman must drink this amount as a minimum.
The high humidity percentages cause you to sweat more, so you lose more fluids, which can cause dehydration and from there, premature contractions. A side effect to note: drinking a lot and also a fetus pressing on the bladder will make you need to use the bathroom many times during the day. Accept this with understanding, and try to drink a full glass of water every hour.
Wear only comfortable clothes and shoes
There’s a big advantage of summer pregnancies over winter pregnancies: it’s possible to wear a minimal amount of clothing and be comfortable. While in winter you have to wear sweaters, coats and leggings, in summer you can walk around in a wide dress made of thin fabric and flip-flops that will hold your expanding feet. Take off your pants, take off your shoes. It's time to dress light and airy.
Take off rings
The combination of summer and pregnancy can cause your fingers to swell, so take off your rings now to avoid painful and unsuccessful attempts to remove them later.
Be more careful about what you eat
Cheeses, fish, meat - all of these and more can spoil in the summer heat, even in the fridge, so you need to be careful about everything you eat. Check expiration dates, smell before you taste, and reduce eating out except to places you trust with your eyes closed. The damage that can be done to you and the fetus from bacteria in food isn’t worth it.
Avoid sports activities outside in intense heat
To be clear, this isn’t an excuse to avoid jogging outside, only from doing so during hours that are so hot it can be dangerous. You can continue to exercise in a controlled manner in an air-conditioned studio or gym.
Be smart in the sun
One side effect of pregnancy in many women is pigmentation, and unfortunately, it does appear mostly on the face. To reduce the chance of suffering from pigmentation, walk around with a hat or at least apply sunscreen to protect yourself from sun damage.
This article was written in partnership with the JAMA parenting app.