Temperatures have continued to rise recently. For expectant mothers who are pregnant and about to give birth, they should pay attention to the \”three precautions\” in hot weather. In addition, if you want to defeat the high temperature safely and smoothly, you need to maintain a regular life, pay attention to cooling down, avoid overeating, avoid eating spoiled and unclean food, keep the environment dry and ventilated, and seek medical treatment in time if you feel unwell.
The first line of defense is heatstroke prevention. The metabolic rate of pregnant women increases. It can be 15%-20% higher in the third trimester than before pregnancy, so more calories will be produced. At the same time, some expectant mothers have a good appetite during pregnancy, but do not pay attention to diet control, resulting in weight gain and subcutaneous fat increase. . It is very thick and affects heat dissipation, so pregnant women are particularly susceptible to heatstroke. Once heatstroke occurs, mild cases may cause nausea, vomiting, chest tightness and palpitations, while severe cases may cause high fever and syncope. Dehydration caused by massive water loss can also threaten the lives of pregnant women and fetuses. Pregnant women should first pay attention to the coolness and ventilation of the room, and do not stay in crowded or hot places for a long time. Especially expectant mothers who plan outdoor activities should try to avoid the hot time at noon. Secondly, drink plenty of water and prepare some warm mung bean soup and other heatstroke prevention and cooling drinks. Some pregnant women like to eat ice cream to cool down. In fact, ice cream contains a lot of butter and sugar, which is high in calories and produces more calories.
The second line of defense is gastroenteritis. The heat and sweltering heat allow mosquitoes and flies to breed, and the vegetables and rice left there will quickly go bad. In addition, many pregnant women like to eat raw and cold food. If you don\’t pay attention to cleaning and disinfection, you can easily become infected with intestinal pathogenic bacteria. Cold watermelon and mung bean soup is a must-have for every family to prevent heatstroke, but if you eat too much at one time, your intestines and stomach will be overly stimulated by the cold, and you will become \”emotional\” and develop into non-infectious gastroenteritis. Abdominal pain, vomiting, and diarrhea are common symptoms of gastroenteritis, sometimes accompanied by fever. Once a pregnant woman suffers from gastroenteritis, doctors will be in a dilemma when it comes to medication. Some antiemetics have teratogenic effects. Pregnant women often have dry stools, and taking antidiarrheal drugs can easily lead to constipation. More seriously, increased intestinal motility during gastroenteritis can sometimes trigger uterine contractions, leading to miscarriage or premature birth. To prevent gastroenteritis, a reasonable diet is key.
The third line of defense is to prevent colds and fevers. Summer is also the season of high incidence of respiratory infectious diseases. Pregnant women have lower resistance and are more susceptible to infection. Studies have shown that viral infection and high fever themselves have teratogenic effects, and fever in late pregnancy can also cause acute fetal distress and even stillbirth. If the condition progresses to bronchitis, frequent, severe coughing may trigger uterine contractions or premature rupture of membranes. If pneumonia occurs, it affects gas exchange and can cause hypoxemia, leading to fetal hypoxia. As with acute gastroenteritis, the range of medications available to treat respiratory tract infections and fever in pregnant women is narrow. The author is Professor Li Huaifang (Director of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Shanghai Tongji Hospital)