36c heat. How to cope?

[Elpis]

OK, I realise this is not relevant to anyone in the UK, but I am on an enforced break outside Boston (MIL's 80th, three-line-whip), 25 weeks pregnant and the temperature is 36c today, 34c tomorrow. A June record for New England, apparently. Have swum in lovely cool sea this morning but beach is down 140 steps with no shade. The house's aircon is barely noticeable. DD (3) and I are putting towels under the cold tap and maybe I should just climb in the bath, but any advice would be so very welcome.

PS I realise I am very, very lucky to be on holiday at all. It's just that ... well... it's too darn hot.

I have lived in some hot places ( although not while pregnant). Keep yourself hydrated - drink all the time and not water but diluted juice or something similar, walk slowly, put damp towel around your neck, sit with feet in bucket of cold water, if u are in the states then u could go the mall as the air conditioning is sure to work there! Good luck and enjoy the holiday.

Make or buy some icepops, keep to the shade, loose clothing and regular cool showers :)

Have you got a fan? If so freeze a few big bottles of water, put them in front of fab and turn on full blast. Instant air con

I find one of those cool water sprays (it looks like an areosol) from Boots very useful on hot holidays. Especially out and about when you have no access to cold towels or aircon. Hope it gets cooler for you! :)

Also - I haven't tried this - but I heard that a homemade aircon can be made from putting a tray on ice in front of a fan. It's supposed to be very effective but somewhat relies on you having a tray, a bag of ice and a fan handy...!

I learned this during one of my first summer jobs, working at a sweltering museum: run the inside of your wrists under cold water from the tap for a minute or two. I don't remember the mechanism, but it really does give you an instant feeling of cool relief.

Thanks for all these helpful tips!

I found a fan in the bedroom cupboard, thank God, which has helped. And today we drove in the ludicrously big air-conditioned Lincoln to a lovely cool restaurant where I drank iced tea. But I did overdo it last night - MIL cooked spag bol because it's her sons' favourite and the combination of hot food, a glass of champagne (we were toasting her birthday) and the heat and humidity tipped me over the edge. Slowly realised I'd stopped sweating and started panting... Everyone else at the table was fine - it just shows that having to cool the baby as well as yourself really does make you much more susceptible to heatstroke.

My 13-year-old nephew, who has not yet acquired the charm towards our sex that makes some adolescent boys bearable, declared: 'If you think it's hot, it will be hot.'

'Fuck off back to Ohio and learn to reply when your aunt says hello in the morning,' I replied.

Not really. I'm a good girl.

Anyway, I lay awake for a few hours worrying that the baby had suffered a neural tube defect due to my stupidity. Then he kicked my bladder a lot and I managed to get to sleep - after checking DD wasn't in a coma from heat exhaustion, obviously. She was fine.

Only 34c today! Home to rainy London tomorrow. We'll miss the big thunderstorms.