Hot Mama! How to Survive a Summer Pregnancy

iVillage

Hot Mama! How to Survive a Summer Pregnancy

(12 Photos)

Ada Calhoun on Jun 2, 2011 at 3:59PM

1 chime

Single View
View All

Getty Images

a Ada Calhoun on Jul 28, 2010 at 2:36PM

Expecting, sweating -- and wondering how to make it through the next few sweltering weeks? Being pregnant during the summer is different than it is the rest of the year. We asked experts for their best advice on making a hot-weather pregnancy more bearable. Read up, and stay cool, mama!

Swollen ankles are a common pregnancy annoyance, and as the weather heats up, they can get even worse. "The more your blood vessels are dilated by the heat, the more swelling you get," says Dr. Roger Harms, the medical editor-in-chief of The Mayo Clinic Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy and an OB/Gyn at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. If you’re lucky enough to have access to a swimming pool, spend as much time as you can in it, standing up to your shoulders. "It floats the baby, and the water pressure compresses your ankles and legs," says Dr. Harms. In other words, you get a nice break from all that gravity and your veins don’t have to work so hard moving all that extra blood around. Don’t have a pool? Try elevating your legs as much and as high as possible when you’re sitting, to promote circulation and reduce swelling.