All-Natural Summer Health Tips for Expecting Mamas

Reader Contribution by Jennifer Landis
Published on June 12, 2018
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Staying relaxed and trying to beat the heat threatens your shifting mood—it’s too much effort. Can’t you grumpily eat your ice cream in peace? The next person who tells you to chill out automatically gets the call for craving duty. Send them out for extra water bottles and ice cream.

Here are a few other all-natural summer health tips for expecting mamas.

Photo by Mickael Tournier on Unsplash

1. Drink More Water

You need all the water you can get, feeling like a beached whale in the hot season. Moving around in the heat as you tow your baby bun will get you sweating extra fast.

Invest in a large travel cup and fill it with water. Most moms drink 10 cups a day when expecting, so when you feel parched, start with water. Dehydration can lead to a risk of preterm labor and contractions. Listen to your body, and drink water or juice when you feel dizzy or lightheaded.

2. Wear Light, Layered Clothing

Your temperature shifts throughout the day, and the hot sun doesn’t help with that. One restaurant feels like an icebox, while the produce aisle of the grocery store feels like a sauna.

Keep your body cool by wearing light, layered clothing. Natural textiles feel soothing against your sensitive skin, and the light fabric allows you to sweat more effectively. When faced with awkwardly shifting temperatures, the layers let you adjust yourself to the environment.

3. Accessorize Your Summer Mama Look

Get into the summer vibe and wear long flowing maxi dresses with diva sunglasses and an elegant wide-brimmed hat. If you’re going to be out and about, you might as well feel glamorous, darling.

Sit under a beach umbrella while you get waited on, hand and foot, and sip your mocktail.

4. Care for Your Teeth

Your teeth should shine like the sun and reflect your happiness at expecting your little one. Your dental health status also reflects your overall health, which should be in tip-top shape as a mom-to-be.

Pregnancy can increase the risk of gingivitis—a risk factor for periodontal disease, which elevates the potential for preterm delivery and heart disease. Do your gums bleed after you brush? Do you brush twice a day? Gingivitis is a condition you can reverse if you catch it early. Your oral health care habits may be fine, but pregnancy itself increases the risk of inflammation due to hormone changes, which can affect the onset of gingivitis.

That’s why it’s essential for expecting moms to at least keep up with routine dental visits. Caring for your teeth is another preventive measure that puts your mind at ease as you enjoy the summer.

5. Guard Against Food Parasites

Sadly, you can’t have many summer foods while pregnant. Some of your favorite dishes might be too risky to consume because of the dangers of food parasites and their potential ill effects on the developing fetus.

Wash your hands each time you handle raw meat. Better yet, let someone else do the prep work for the grill. Let the food get piping hot, and reduce your intake of deli and other ready-to-eat meat products.

Throw out food you left sitting out for over two hours to practice food safety standards. On super-hot days, never leave food out for more than an hour.

6. Exercise and Play Mindfully 

Just because you’re pregnant doesn’t mean you have to sit around the house all day. Moderately intense activity, such as running, golf and swimming, poses little risk to your developing child. Stay away from high-level activities, and drink extra water while outdoors.

When nearing the end of your pregnancy, avoid activities that may cause falls, such as horseback riding. Let others water-ski and jet-ski, since the pressure can force your bloodstream up when you take a fall. That puts the baby at risk.

The only key when getting active is to exercise and play mindfully. Listen to your body, and stay cool. Always stretch, warm up and cool down.

7. Wear Natural Bug Spray

Do mosquitoes love to eat you up? They carry harmful diseases, such as the West Nile virus. So, wear long pants and sleeves, and put on natural bug spray.

Citronella oil is helpful, but make sure you apply it every hour. Other natural bug sprays last longer.

8. Indulge in Tasty Cold Foods

You’re pregnant and hot, which means you get to indulge in tasty cold foods. Make delicious fruit smoothies and popsicles. Demand homemade ice cream. Greek yogurt contains natural probiotics that build good gut health.

Enjoy cold entrees, such as gazpacho made from scratch.

Summer threatens to make a pregnant woman feel more like a beached whale than a Bahama mama. That doesn’t have to be the case.

Expecting mothers should get out and about and enjoy a day in the sun. Moderate exercise isn’t harmful to the baby, but moms should take extra precautions in the sun, by wearing sunscreen, wearing light and layered clothes and drinking more water.

Now, send someone off to get ingredients for homemade ice cream. You deserve it.

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