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Original poster

Question for those who have been heavily pregnant in very hot weather ...

34 replies

Ghosty · 04/01/2004 06:43

Hello ...

I am suffering .... 36 weeks pregnant now and I am all over the place. It is midsummer in NZ ... and the last 3 weeks have been hell. Today it was definitely creeping up to 30 degrees and here in Auckland it is sooooo humid.

Normally a sun worshipper and a summer lover I am praying for freak snow storms (I don't believe it has ever snowed in Auckland so I know it is a long shot!).

My ankles and feet have swollen up to grotesque proportions, even my flip flops don't fit ... I haven't worn my wedding ring for a month on account of fingers that resemble sausages ... Not sleeping and tossing a turning all night due to heat, despite having windows open and not wearing very much.

None of this is helped by the fact that I have to wear a tubigrip around my tummy because I suffer from SPD and if I don't wear it for a few days I am in agony ....

All I want is to be someone else, somewhere else ...

How am I going to get through the next few weeks?

I know there was a hot summer in the UK this year so if anyone was in my position in August - what did you do to make yourself feel better bar wallow in a cold bath ...????

Any advice/suggestions/sympathy would be gratefully received!!!!

Lots of love

Ghosty xxx

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bobthebaby · 04/01/2004 07:04

Ah Ghosty you have my sympathy, its been over 30 here for the last few days too and my ds is covered in eczema and can't sleep for the heat. I was pg this time last year and found the only thing that helped was swimming. Then again we have a dry heat in ChCh, I might have felt differently in a humid place. Is the sea still cold, could you go for a paddle? I tried in Christchurch and got cramp in seconds, then again even my parents gave up and they are normally up to your shoulders people.

emmatmg · 04/01/2004 07:10

Ohhh yes, how I remember that feeling!
DS3 was born 24 th September so I was about the same as you when we had 100*c record breaker.

Most days it was too hot to go in the garden, not just for me but DS1+2 as well.

Best thing I did was frequently run my wrists under the cold tap, palms up. Leave them there a couple in minutes and it cools the blood running through there and that affects the rest of your body. It works with ankles too......but try a bowl of water as swinging my leg up into the sink would have required major scaffolding and I didn't have SPD.

Also keep the curtains and (I think) windows closed upstairs during the day as this makes it much cooler at nighttime, someone else might know if it's windows too. Can't remember which was best as I tried both.

It's awful isn't it, I left the thermometer in our bedroom one night and the lowest it got down to was 28*c......at about 3am.

BTW I think my wrist/water trick made it to tip of the day on MN so it really does work

Hope this help......

bloss · 04/01/2004 07:31

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bloss · 04/01/2004 07:31

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sobernow · 04/01/2004 07:43

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aloha · 04/01/2004 08:26

I've just remembered that I used a plant sprayer with water in it a lot (and also when I was not pg last summer). In the day I used it to spray myself all over with a fine spray of water, and at night used it over the sheet to make the sheet slightly damp and so cooler (it wasn't unpleasantly clammy at all). I also think sitting with your feet in cold water is generally cooling during the day.

Also, manual lymphatic drainage (MLD) is a kind of massage that can really help with water retention IME. It is EXTREMELY gentle - more like little touches than massage, but wonderfully relaxing. I don't know if you can find a practitioner near you.
Not long now....

WideWebWitch · 04/01/2004 09:42

Ooh Ghosty, you poor thing, I do sympathise. I was pregnant during that last hot summer here too and spent most days sitting in a darkened house with the shutters and windows shut (and an Aga on! turned it off in the end and didn't cook, but that's another rant). So I agree with the darkened rooms and cool showers. Those last few weeks are horrible aren't they, even without the heat. Hope it cools before you give birth (or will they have air con in the hospital?)

Evansmum · 04/01/2004 09:48

Lots of sympathy as I was hugely pg during last hot summer in UK. All the tips below helped but when I really needed them was during b/f as ds and I used to get REALLY hot and disgustingly sweaty. If you are planning to b/f get your dp or whoever is around to make sure you have a big glass of water and a damp cloth, maybe a water spritzer thing around... Good luck!

Original poster
Ghosty · 04/01/2004 09:53

Thanks for the kind words everyone ... I am pretty much beside myself at the moment ...
I am going to have cool bath now, before I go to bed and hopefully that will cool me down ...
DS and I will go to the beach tomorrow and have a paddle ... good idea bobthebaby ... and the water is pretty freezing ...
water on wrists ... good idea!
And re. air con in hospital ... don't know about that ... will ask ...
Thanks girls ... keep em coming!!

OP posts:
LIZS · 04/01/2004 09:54

I had dd in August in Switzerland, and it was mid 30's for the 3 weeks before hand, and she was 11 days late. It is sooo uncomfortable, puffy, itchy, hot, I really feel for you. I can't add much to the tips here though - paddling pool in the shade in which to dip your feet and keep the bedroom shaded all day (we have shutters which I barely opened) so that you have a relatively cool haven. Drink loads of chilled water too as this can help reduce the puffiness.

Hospital didn't have aircon much to my shock, but hopefully yours will.

good luck and loads of sympathy

motherinferior · 04/01/2004 10:37

On the June/July thread last year we also agreed that it is perfectly acceptable to take a swing at anyone who pats your bump and says jovially 'bet you're suffering in this heat, eh?'

It will be worth it, Ghosty. And the babe can kick about in glorious nakedness once it's out!
xxxxxxxxxxx

eidsvold · 04/01/2004 13:20

i also bought a can of magicool for the long hot days at work - no fans etc.. sprayed that on the back of my neck and on my face helped cool me down.

not sure if you can get it in NZ though Ghosty...

ragtaggle · 04/01/2004 13:28

Poor you. I was pregnant last summer and living in central London when we had the record breaking 100 degrees. It was a nightmare. I spent a lot of time sitting in a cold bath and the rest of the time with a fan pointed at me. Not very original but hope it helps

pie · 04/01/2004 13:43

Lots of sympathy Ghosty, it was heatwave hell when I was pregnant with DD2...cool baths, little clothing, curtains drawn, lots of fans were my weapons of choice.

The tuibgrip is hell in that kind of weather, I really do appreciate that. And I take it with the SPD there isn't much going to an airconditioned place, I know I couldn't do that. Have you got a fan?

pie xx

elena2 · 04/01/2004 14:33

Lots of sympathy Ghosty, I was due to have ds2 on the 16th of August this year, just around the ENDLESS few weeks of our heatwave!

I sat (in the shade)with my feet in bowls of cold water, eating ice pops in the garden for a good part of each day, while ds1 played in the shade in his water tray.
The ice pops were a biggie for me, I took to ordering them by the boxful from the local shop!

I took to sleeping in the conservatory with a huge fan directed on me at nights, as the combination of being uncomfortably HUGE, dh's heavy breathing and fidgeting cos of the heat, and being unbearably hot, was not a good recipe for getting a full nights sleep!

Funnily enough, the conservatory, which was totally un-useable in the day as it got so hot, was the coolest place in the house at night.

The damp sheets and t-shirt sound like an excellent idea...

Hope you get some cooler weather soon...

Elena xxx

Quackers · 04/01/2004 14:53

Sympathy Ghosty. I enjoyed my summer pgcy. I went to a wedding a week overdue and it 30degrees, v hot but I drank tons of fizzy water with lemon. My big tip was to spend as much time swimming in a cool pool as poss or bath. It's tough esp at night. Hope it cools down a bit soon!

traceyshep · 04/01/2004 17:59

much sympathy Ghosty. I was pg last summer and gave birth on one of the hottest days of the year! I remember going to antenatal appointments wearing my dh's shorts and tshirt! Also as Quackers says swimming is v good.

pie · 04/01/2004 18:25

Good idea about the swimming (rememeber Ghosty no breaststroke for you!).

bobthebaby · 04/01/2004 19:34

Take a big rubber ring and just float - even better!

kiwicath · 04/01/2004 20:09

Hi Ghosty. I'm a kiwi lass myself (from Christchurch) but living in the Sinai, Egypt. Gave birth just two weeks ago. Luckily it's winter here now (25-35C) but the majority of my pregnancy was during summer (40-50C). I spent hours on end at the pool. Not only was it refreshing but so soothing on my swollen ankles and aching back. When not in the pool I was going from one air conditioned room to another. ( I know they are not big on AC's over there though). Keep your feet up and drink ridiculously huge amounts of water. Sorry, that's not what a pregnant woman with a bladder the size of a pea wants to hear but it's so important not to get dehydrated. When you start to feel lethargic and head achy, down a bottle of water. It's amazing how much more energy it gives you and immediately too. Lucky old thing for being able to have your little one in NZ. The trip was far to long for me to make. Best of luck darlin

musica · 04/01/2004 20:31

Dd was born August 2003, in the week it was 37 degrees! My things that helped were:

Air conditioning in shops - did lots of shopping!

Ice pops.

Cool water on wrists.

Fans EVERYWHERE including all night.

Tea (bizarrely - it always seems really refreshing in the hot weather to me.)

You have my sympathy - it's horrid isn't it!

Bron · 04/01/2004 21:12

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popsycal · 04/01/2004 21:14

pools - whether you swim or nt just go when it is quiet
buy a cheap fan and have it on when you need it - sod the electricity bill!!!
ice lollies, cold drinks with ice cubes
cold, wet face clothes on your head or where ever else needs it!!

Bron · 05/01/2004 09:23

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Katypie · 05/01/2004 14:09

How about freezing some towels and laying on them or covering yourself at night. Maybe even have an esky next to the bed with some spares in!