10 Important Pregnancy Care Tips during Monsoon
The allure of monsoons is what causes any person to step out and enjoy the first rains in all their glory. As a pregnant woman, the possibilities of lying on your armchair, sipping on some hot soup, while reading your favourite book and listening to the rain rage outside can be quite the dream. Along with the rains, monsoons bring with themselves a ton of other aspects that make monsoon care for moms-to-be an essential thing to remember.
Video: Important Pregnancy Care Tips During Monsoon
Monsoon Care Tips and Precautions for Pregnant Women to Stay Healthy
It can be tricky to care of yourself when the weather changes. Here are some things to keep in mind if you’re pregnant during the monsoons.
1. Sticking to a Well-Balanced, Nutritious Diet
A diet that includes everything that a mother and her baby need is anyway a necessity when pregnant. However, it becomes more mandatory to follow in monsoons. This is a time period when the general immunity in a body is at its lowest, and monsoons bring along many diseases. Go for a diet that is high in protein, which gives you a good amount of nutrition. Consuming warm food items and sipping on healthy soups is a great choice. Stick to freshly prepared food items and avoid green vegetables like spinach or cabbage, since there are higher chances of those carrying germs.
2. Maintain the Usual Fluid Intake
The humidity in the atmosphere increases while the overall temperature reduces, making monsoons pleasant. This also tricks your body into thinking it has enough fluids, since it tends to compare with the previous season of summer. This is precisely why many pregnant women suffer from dehydration in the monsoons, leading to nausea, headaches and complaints of fainting. Ensure that your fluid intake is tracked and stays at the same level as before. Add juices and coconut water regularly into your diet.
3. Outside Food Is to Be Avoided, Despite Cravings
All those previous times when you’d step out with your friends to gorge on some nice street food need to take a strict backseat when you’re pregnant. We’ve all experienced stomach problems, at the very least, after eating street food. Apart from unhygienic conditions and uncertainty of the sources of water used in those food items, consuming extremely spicy street food with all those chemicals can be quite harmful to you and the baby. Even any fruits that are cut and kept out for sale can be a housing project for multiple diseases, especially during monsoons. Satiate your craving by making chaat at home using safe water.
4. Personal Hygiene Should Take Even More Importance
You might be maintaining general cleanliness all around, but monsoons bring about a new level of infections and diseases. The slightest chance of overlooking any aspect of hygiene, as simple as washing hands prior to cooking, can pave a pathway for germs to reach your body and, in worst cases, your baby, too. Lowered immunity makes it even easier for diseases to reach you, which is why it is necessary to keep a disinfectant with you at all times. Moreover, if you fall sick with an infection, a doctor may not be able to recommend any antibiotics and strong medication due to its effects on the baby and you will have to resort to natural remedies that can take quite some time to alleviate the sickness. Prevention is the best cure.
5. Sanitation of the Surroundings Plays a Key Role
Taking care of the area around you and keeping it free from infection is an important aspect to be kept in mind as well. Using a nice-smelling soap solution for cleaning the home isn’t sufficient. Replace that with a strong disinfectant that can rid your home of any microbes or germs that stay even in the darkest corners. Take care to wash and replace your beddings and other upholstery regularly since visitors and other guests can bring germs along with them from the outside.
6. Mosquitoes Are Your Worst Enemies
There are few people who are lucky in this world to stay at a home that is free from mosquito invasion. Most of us have to be at war, especially in monsoons, when mosquitoes enter our homes en masse. Using a mosquito repellent is the first line of defence but do not shy away from using a liquidator as well. Using nets over your beds can help you get a good sleep at night. Keep a watch around your home and in the surroundings for places where stagnant pools of water might remain. These breeding grounds of mosquitoes should be taken care of or should be avoided as much as possible.
7. The Right Footwear Helps You Keep Safe At All Times
If you prefer taking walks outside or are still in the early stages of pregnancy and working, you need to take extra care in maintaining your balance with the widespread presence of slippery surfaces in monsoons. Even the roads you are well-versed with can turn into unknown pathways when they are covered with water or even wet. Any slip and fall can be deemed harmful to the baby and you.
8. Make Dressing Choices As Per the Weather
Increased humidity and chances of getting wet in the rain make it necessary to wear clothing that allows you to breathe better and keeps your body dry. Cotton clothes are the best. Avoid synthetic choices since they do not absorb sweat and will lead to rashes on the skin.
9. Make Bathing a Time for Disinfection
Once a day, make sure you take a bath that contains disinfectants. This reduces the chances of microbes and infections staying on your body for long and finding their way inside you. Using neem with hot water or even a cap of Dettol with hot water can not only give a relaxing bath but make you feel clean and healthy, too.
10. Being Over-Prepared Is Better than Being Caught Unaware
Pregnancy shifts all the things you could do yourself to a higher difficulty level. Therefore, it is better to take into account possible scenarios and prepare for them. While stepping out, carry an umbrella and make sure your phone is charged. Carry a power-bank if needed. Check for weather updates and avoid going out during times when showers are predicted.
Everybody looks forward to the monsoons, and wishes to enjoy them to the fullest. Being pregnant might bring in a few restrictions, but that doesn’t mean you cannot enjoy the weather. Keeping a few monsoon pregnancy care tips in mind can make sure you stay safe at all times, and enjoy the weather and the beautiful rains with your little one inside you!