Sunbathing-Swimming With Tummy

Summer pregnancy is practically no different from winter or autumn. This is from the point of view of the processes occurring in the body of the expectant mother: weight gain continues, the baby is developing, and childbirth is approaching. But a hot pregnancy still has some features, and it’s worth learning more about them.

The rapidly rising column of the street thermometer, the bright sun, and the stuffiness create additional stress on the body of the expectant mother. But if the pregnancy proceeds without complications - there is no toxicosis, there is no threat of miscarriage, then you can afford all the delights of a summer holiday, naturally, within reasonable limits.

Tanning is not a taboo
One day, while basking on a Crimean beach, I observed a breathtaking picture. A pregnant woman stood at the edge of the water, basking in the gentle rays of the morning sun, and the baby in her belly literally couldn’t find a place for joy: it was spinning, kicking, dancing...

Pregnancy is not a reason to give up your dream of a beautiful tan. Moreover, the baby really likes moderate exposure to the sun (starting from the 16th week of pregnancy, the baby already sees the light and feels warmth). Sunlight also promotes the production of vitamin D in the body, which regulates the exchange of microelements in the body - calcium, magnesium, phosphorus. The main question is when and how much to sunbathe. Experts unanimously consider the first trimester to be the most important - at this time the organs and systems of the little person are formed, so you should not sunbathe in direct sunlight. In the second and third trimesters, the regime softens: you can bask in the sun's rays, but only before 11.00 and after 17.00. Midday hours are the most dangerous for expectant mothers. It has been scientifically proven that an overdose of ultraviolet radiation reduces immunity, resulting in an increased risk of contracting intestinal infections (dysentery, dysbacteriosis). Joking with the sun can also have faster consequences: lead to sunburn, fainting, and premature birth. To protect yourself from burns, you can use sunscreen. When choosing protection, pay attention to whether it is approved for use by pregnant women. If not, it’s better not to take risks. If, despite the precautions taken, the skin still turns red, take immediate action:

1. Apply chamomile cream by mixing 5-6 drops of mint oil into it. The product has cooling and anti-inflammatory properties.
2. Make a cold compress with milk, kefir or sour cream.
3. Apply used tea bags to your skin. Tannic acid found in black and green tea helps relieve redness and burns.

Traveling near and far
Being 8 months pregnant, my friend took the risk of traveling with her husband to St. Petersburg for two weeks in June, where their relatives lived. And not by train, plane or car, but on a truck(!) - a car loaded with bags of sugar, since the future father of the family was working as a truck driver at that moment. Not only was the woman practically shaking in the cab, but at night she replaced her husband and drove a huge truck. Dangerous? Certainly! But she simply could not sit at home without adventures and travel and wait for her husband to return from his business trip. While driving on highways, excursions around the city and on the way home with the brave expectant mother, I never experienced an attack of nausea, dizziness or any other unpleasant and alarming symptom. The same cannot be said about my other friend, who, with an 8-week pregnancy, was quietly and peacefully traveling on a very ordinary train to visit her parents from Kyiv to Moscow. The impressions from the trip stayed with her forever: she was shaking, nauseous, sick, and there was a tightness in her lower abdomen so that the poor thing felt like she was about to give birth. Fortunately, everything worked out, and she gave birth to her strong baby boy at exactly 9 months.

After 20 weeks, gynecologists do not recommend a sudden change in climate, so it is better for the expectant mother to choose something close and comfortable for relaxation.