What Are the Major Risks of Sunbathing While Pregnant?
ARE YOU PREGNANT DURING THE SUMMER SEASON?
Everyone enjoys a day of waves and sunshine. It is utterly tempting for you to take some time to lay out in the cool sunshine for an ideal sun–kissed glowing skin, right?
Do you love to feel those golden sunshine drops and droplets when they delicately “TOUCH” your wrists? Do you know that the gold sunlight generates “Sunshine Vitamin”? If it is sparkling spring day with glittering golden sunlight, with intensively glittering gold–colored sunshine’s drops, with glowing pastel–golden–colored sunshine’s droplets, with gorgeously–scented air flows, and pure whirls of blushed tightly–closed peony buds’ bouquets, just bundle up! It is the most beautiful time to stroll down the streets and get the delicate touch of glowing sunlight on your bare skin, even if it is only your face skin, or your wrists skin, or your décolleté skin. Let those ‘glittering golden drops’ of the sunlight that leave a sticky trail sliding over your face, over your décolleté, over your wrists, and past your fingertips. Do you love to glance at the glittering turquoise sea waves? Do you love noticing how the pastel–golden sunshine outlines the tops of the pure dark–blue colored waves, making their frothy breaks shimmer and glisten? Have you just recognized yourself in every single word, written above? But before you go out with your pastel–colored swimsuit and towel in your bag, consider the way that UV rays affect both you and your unborn small bundle of joy.
There are Three Major Risks of Sunbathing While Pregnant
1. Increased basal body temperature, usually observed during pregnancy, ‘BLENDED’ with increased ambient temperature has the strong negative effect on the growing fetus.
Pregnancy is a complex synchronized process in which several vascular changes occur to maintain blood supply to the growing fetuses. Furthermore, it is closely associated with dramatic changes in maternal hemodynamics, including increases in plasma volume and decreases in blood pressure and peripheral vascular tone as the impaired trophoblast invasion leads to umbilicoplacental blood flow disturbances, or, in other words, your blood volume increases during pregnancy because the growing fetus ‘establishes’ and ‘synchronizes’ its own cardiovascular system, and, surely, needs its own blood circulation, and thus, your body modulates the increased blood flow [increased blood volume]. Consequently, increased blood flow affects your basal body temperature. Conclusively, you will feel just a tiny bit feverish and according to your thermometer, you will be just a little bit warmer than normal, but you won’t feel sick.
Remember that while pregnant on average your basal body temperature [BBT] will only rise by 0.4ºF. If your temperature would rise to 101ºF (or 38ºC), you should immediately schedule an appointment with your doctor, and if your temperature would rise to 101,5ºF (or 38,5ºC), you should urgently call your doctor and go to the clinic.
Summer season with its hot days, hot nights and heat waves are the great challenge for the growing fetus. Exposure to the sun, particularly, sunbathing in the extremely hot summer days can increase your core temperature. You could more easily become dehydrated which would lead to the multiple symptoms of preterm labor. This, in turn, can elevate the temperature of the growing fetus, which can cause fetus’s brain damage [multiple brain malformations], heart damage [multiple heart defects, including congenital heart defects], or other birth defects if raised high enough or long enough. Increased core temperature [basal body temperature], especially in the third trimester, has a significant risk of starting premature labor.
2. Every day, long–time sunbathing may increase the risk of chloasma
While pregnant, the excess of the hormones in your body, primarily progesterone and estrogen [these hormones stimulate the production of the melanocytes cells, and the melanocytes cells begin to produce more melanin pigment when your bare skin is exposed to the sun and this results in the development of patches on your skin. Overproduction of skin pigment melanin causes chloasma (Melasma)], presents specific problems for your skin when exposed to the sun and its UV rays by increasing the risk of chloasma [Melasma] or, in other words, the mask of pregnancy. This phenomenon is common during pregnancy and it happens because of the hormonal imbalance. chloasma [Melasma] is not an infection, not an allergic reaction and it is not cancerous at all. The symptoms of chloasma [Melasma] include the presence of hyperpigmented patches on the skin that are dark, irregular and clearly demarcated from each other. The patches generally develop gradually and the whole process takes some time. Typically, they spread in a symmetrical manner. Some patches on your skin becoming darkish and brownish. These patches tend to look like confetti. The areas affected by chloasma [Melasma] are not raised. Additionally, the skin does not become sore or itchy. The melasma patches can appear on Shoulders, Forearms, Neck, Lips, Upper lip, Cheek pattern, Upper cheeks, Nose, and Forehead. If this is what you are experiencing, then you have chloasma. If you are suffering from chloasma [Melasma] exposure to sunlight darkens the pigments of your skin during pregnancy, making the darkened skin more noticeable.
3. Laying out in the sun for a long time puts you at risk for overheating
Do you remember that while pregnant your basal body temperature is higher a little bit? Laying out in the sun or using tanning beds to sunbathe also puts you at risk for overheating. Overheating, or medically termed “HYPERTHERMIA” is considered when your basal body temperature rises to above 102ºF (or 39ºC). overheating is extremely dangerous for your tiny fetus if it is your first trimester. Overheating [“HYPERTHERMIA”] during pregnancy can cause embryonic/fetal death, embryonic/fetal abortion, embryonic/fetal growth retardation and embryonic/fetal developmental defects. When your basal body temperature rises to above 102ºF (or 39ºC) it can result in neural tube defects in the fetus because the development of the central nervous system is especially susceptible. This neural tube’s malformation occurs due to a failure in closing the neural tube post 25 days of conception [nearly the end of the 4th week post conception], during the time of neural tube closure., particularly, a 2ºC elevation for twenty–four hours during early neural tube closure may lead to the adverse consequences. The 4th postconceptional week is vital for the fetal neuro tube as this trend is apparent for spina bifida and anencephalus/encephalocele, the main subtypes of neural tube defects. Your basal body temperature during the 3rd–week post conception is not associated with neural tube defects. The other adverse consequences of overheating [“HYPERTHERMIA”] in pregnancy are fetal growth retardation, intrauterine fetal death, neural fetal abnormality, or multiple neural fetal abnormalities. Overheating after the first trimester can also cause dehydration, dizziness, and nausea. More intimidating than overheating itself is the possibility that you may not realize that you are overheating because you do not necessarily feel uncomfortable as your body temperature continues to increase. Therefore, if you feel extreme fatigue, utter exhaustion, dizziness, lightheadedness, nausea, dehydration, fainting, loss of consciousness [these are the symptoms of overheating [“HYPERTHERMIA”], do not continue sunbathing in any case and schedule the appointment with your doctor to check how is your baby. If you feel extreme fatigue and dizziness, you should immediately call your doctor and go to the clinic.
CONCLUSION:
You have always held the intriguing conversations with your significant other about delicate words, passionate love and summer nights, of love giving you some kind of fever. Now, during those hot passionate summer nights and glittering summer days you held the inspiring conversations with your significant other about the new addition, the blend of you both, your small bundle. Every morning you do love to glance at the gorgeously glittering accurately shaped sea wave drops, while the wind pushes against your golden hair, revealing the softness of your face before it falls right back into place. And you shine twice as brightly… Have you just recognized yourself in every single word, written above? But before you go out with your pastel–colored swimsuit and towel in your bag, consider the way that UV rays affect both you and your unborn small bundle of joy.
Are you confused and embarrassed because of the Risks of Sunbathing While Pregnant? You shouldn’t feel this way. But before you bundle up and stroll to the beach to lay out in the gorgeously gold sunshine there, read these 10 highly recommended preventive measures for those who are pregnant and do love laying out in the sun and sunbathing which will help you to prevent the worst consequences for you and your baby growing inside you:
1. If you are four or five weeks pregnant, it is of critical importance to avoid the sunbathing completely.
Because, Fetal neural tube’s malformation occurs due to a failure in closing the neural tube post 25 days of conception [nearly the end of the 4th week post conception], during the time of neural tube closure., particularly, a 2ºC elevation for twenty–four hours during early neural tube closure may lead to the adverse consequences. The 4th postconceptional week is vital for the fetal neuro tube as this trend is apparent for spina bifida and anencephalus/encephalocele, the main subtypes of neural tube defects.
2. The night before your sunbathing day your sleep should be noninterrupted.
You should sleep at least eight hours every night. Sleeping regulates your body temperature. Sleep is essential for your body because sleeping not only relieves your body from daily fatigue and utter emotional, mental and physical exhaustion but also prevents overheating.
3. Do not sunbathe if it is too hot outside.
It could end up being a bad idea for you and your small one.
4. Do not sunbathe in the afternoon time.
If you do want to feel the delicate touch of the gorgeously gold glittering sunshine, choose the early morning time [7.00–09.30 A.M.] or evening time [05.00–07.00 P.M.]. Choose your time, but it shouldn’t be too early in the morning and too late in the evening.
5. Always apply the sunscreen.
Choose one that is SPF 30 or higher. rub it, don’t spray it. Make sure that you apply sunscreen at least 30 minutes before you go out and your bare skin becomes exposed to the sun. Apply the sunscreen on your face, on your fingertips, on your wrists, on your décolleté, on your shoulders, on all the skin which will be barely exposed to the sun when you will stroll down the street to the beach. Choosing sunscreens with nutrients like zinc will benefit the health of your skin. Make sure your sunscreen doesn’t list oxybenzone on the back. This component is dangerous for you and for your unborn little one. The usage of the sunscreen with this component increases the chances of coronary heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, and other diseases.
6. Always take the water
Before going outside. And it is better to take at least two small bottles.
Stay always hydrated throughout your pregnancy. It will not only keep you away from dehydration but also helps your body to cool itself.
7. Wear comfortable dresses to the beach.
You do want to be elegant, you do want to be stylish, you do want to have many wonderful even divine outfits to emphasize your gorgeous beauty. Loads of them. High waisted, flowing vanilla–colored dresses with pearls, loose nude tulle dresses, champagne–colored dresses with long sleeves, the dresses that have some characteristics of an outer tunic. Go floaty. Choose breathable, natural fabrics, and keep your clothes loose and floaty, so that the air flows can circulate. Let it be something wonderful. Something inspiring. Something capturing. Full of voluminous silhouettes made with clouds of diaphanous fabric trimmed with gorgeous soft shimmer lace. Something that accurately and gorgeously outlines the bump, making a strong accent on it. When choosing the gown to wear, avoid dark colors. ESPECIALLY AVOID chocolate–cored and black ones. The dark colors “ATTRACT” the sun rays. And it may cause overheating.
8. Always “BOOK” the tanning bed with the solid–sized pastel–colored umbrella.
Never ever choose the tanning bed with chocolate–colored or black–colored umbrella. And always take your cotton towel to spread over the tanning bed because you never knew who was there before you and skin diseases sometimes are difficultly treated. Furthermore, most of the pharmaceutical medications cannot be prescribed for you while you are caring the baby bump not to harm the baby.
9. If the wind flows are cool or cold, do not sunbathe. If the sea or ocean’s waves are cool or cold [if the water is cold], do not swim. Avoid Getting a Cold When Pregnant.
10. If you feel extreme fatigue, utter exhaustion, dizziness, lightheadedness, nausea, dehydration, fainting, loss of consciousness [these are the symptoms of overheating [“HYPERTHERMIA”], do not continue sunbathing in any case and schedule the appointment with your doctor to check how is your baby.