By Heather O.
At the risk of inviting every sicko on the internet trolling for po*n, I offer the following:
Not in the “Yeah, baby” kinda of way, ’cause really, nothing says, “I’m too sexy for my shirt” like looking like a water buffalo and needing help out of bed every morning. Like a beetle who has been turned on his back and is waving his legs helplessly, hoping for some assistance before he curls up and dies.
(Am I mixing my metaphors here?)
No, I’m talking about the kind of hot when you are seriously considering turning up the AC just as your 5 year old wraps his little arms around his knees and says, “Mommy, it’s cold in here!”
The kind of hot when your husband goes to bed in sweats and a long sleeved sweatshirt and wraps himself in the quilt while you, who have banned box fans from your bedroom pretty much your entire marriage, have 2 of them blowing at you full blast all night.
The kind of hot that makes your mother say to you when she is visiting, “Hey, do you have any extra blankets? I’m freezing in here!”
The kind of hot that makes you seriously consider sticking your head in the freezer long enough for your eyebrows to frost over and your nose hair freeze.
The kind of hot that wonders if you can turn your garage into some sort of Arctic habitat, build an igloo, and live there all summer, like a reverse sort of mammal hibernation thing. They build penguin habitats at zoos all the time, after all. How hard could it be?
The last time I was this pregnant, it was February. And I lived in Boston. I remember walking along the Charles River with a friend, armed with only a sweatshirt against the weather, and she remarked how stinkin’ cold it was. I told her I had just been thinking it was luxuriously cool.
Yes, I did just use the phrase “luxuriously cool” to describe New England in the dead of winter. Only a crazy pregnant woman would do that.
A crazy pregnant woman who is hot.
Who’s up for icecream? I think I’m going to go dive into a vat of it.




LOL!! you so just described my last pregnancy! of course the last 3 babies happened to be timed as late summer, early fall babies–before it cooled down out west here–and no a/c in sight. ugh. i remember waking up one morning at the foot of my bed because it was directly underneath the ceiling fan and having a fan at the side of the bed trained right on my face. it was something about not getting fresh air to breathe unless the fan was there. i seriously considered panting like a dog b/c maybe that would work to cool me off too?
Comment #1 by AlisonMay 17th, 2007 at 9:14 amI was pregnant with both my babies during the winter. And I must say they were the best winters of my life. DH is very warm blooded and likes the windows open year round, even when it snows. And while I was pregnant I was the one opening the windows, it was great for once to have our body temps to be the same. Of course once I wasn’t pregnant any more, I went back to freezing at winter and in the summer when he’d drop the temp down low.
Comment #2 by moddyMay 17th, 2007 at 10:56 amAll I have to say is two of my three were born in AUGUST.
I hear ya, sister!
Comment #3 by Tracy MMay 17th, 2007 at 11:03 amMy last trimester was during the summer, and I used my pregnancy to shame my husband into turning down the AC. He would come home from work and turn up the AC rather than changing out of his wool socks, combat boots, and long-sleeved Army uniform. After many mentions of just how cold it had to be to freeze his pregnant wife, he did start changing into shorts after work, or at least taking off the wool socks and combat boots.
Comment #4 by MelindaMay 17th, 2007 at 11:34 amI was cold for most of my pregnancy (I would be freezing in August when it was 80 degrees in the house /with/ the AC on), then suddenly in February my thermometer switched and I’ve been hot ever since. This is very sad, as I’ve given birth! I’d like a normal temperature again, please!
I’d just blame it on the fact that the weather is getting warm here, but since I’ve had my baby, it’s gotten cold enough to snow and I was hot then too.
Comment #5 by FirebyrdMay 17th, 2007 at 3:07 pmI didn’t believe in the temperature issues thing until baby #3 was born in October. It. was. horrible.
BTW, congratulations. I was wondering how I missed that you are pregnant until somewhere I read that you just made it known. So I wanted to say congrats. Oh, and hang in there! The thing that is great about pregnancy is that you KNOW it WILL end!
Comment #6 by m&mMay 17th, 2007 at 3:09 pm…and thank heaven for that!
Hot + fat = no fun.
I had a January baby, and it was the first winter of my life where I was actually warm. Okay, hot. I remember thinking how miserable would this be if I was due in August? Go soak your feet in ice water, and hang in there.
Comment #7 by wynneMay 17th, 2007 at 4:44 pmJust FYI: it happens all over again when you go through menopause…holy holy holy!
I am burning up! That said I don’t have labour and delivery to look forward to.
Meet you at B&R’s.
Comment #8 by s'meeMay 17th, 2007 at 4:53 pmMy second was born in December and we live in Calgary, Canada, it’s cold (really, really cold in the winter. I was seriously considering opening windows at night. My poor husband would come to bed in wool socks, a rugby shirt, a touque, two pairs of flannel pjs and load on the blankets and I would be saying, hey let’s open the window, it’s so hot in here!
Comment #9 by zayehsmommyMay 17th, 2007 at 5:34 pmOf my eleven pregnancies, the six that actually “stuck” all required summer commitments. My children are June (2), July (2), August (1), October (1). What were we thinking?
Comment #10 by Alison Moore SmithMay 17th, 2007 at 6:40 pmMy last pregnancy was the worst. Yes, he was born in February, but I was sweating ALL. THE. TIME. I was so embarrassed by my pit stains –man, it was awful! I’m sure people wondered if I wore deoderant (yes, people! I wore it! And usually applied it three times a day to no avail…sigh…)
Comment #11 by cherylMay 17th, 2007 at 7:21 pmHot? Picture this. Connecticut. Mid-late July. 9 months pregnant.
Comment #12 by meemsMay 17th, 2007 at 10:18 pmOh yeah, I forgot to mention I was finishing up grad school so I spent my days walking across campus back and forth between classes. My dorm room had no air con, only a desk fan. My feet swelled up every day (and were smelly too from sweating so much). I was carrying 50 pounds excess weight (honestly, I don’t know how that happened!) Hot. Yes, I understand!
Comment #13 by meemsMay 17th, 2007 at 10:22 pmMy first pregnancy we lived in an apartment complex with a pool. Ah, the relief. no such luck with #4. born in January & I, too, was hot. Every second of every day. luckily we saved on our heat bill this past winter!
(And a tip on the sweating to avoid those nasty sweat stains - a product called Certain Dri. It’s wonderful! I found it after #2 was born… You too can find it at retailers such as Target or VoldeMart.)
Comment #14 by Natalie S.May 18th, 2007 at 12:13 amOh yeah. My first pregnancy, we moved to the central valley of CA (from the coast) in May and it was 105. The baby was born in July–and over 10 lbs. I spent most of my time trying to get into other people’s swimming pools, where I would just float like a manatee for as long as possible.
Comment #15 by dangermomMay 18th, 2007 at 12:52 amPut Purel on the back of your neck, the alcohol in it will help cool you down, if only for a moment.
Comment #16 by HeidiMay 18th, 2007 at 9:19 amI totally understand. My first was born in October, and that was the hottest summer ever. I slept in just my g’s and had the window open (no ac at my place). Usually the air would cool off at night in this town, but it didn’t seem to that summer. I was sooooo swollen! My Chacos (sandals) were so huge afterwards (good thing the straps adjust).
#2 came a couple of weeks ago, and I can totally see why people have babies in April. That would have been a great month to deliver–avoiding a lot of warm months for the pregnancy. I missed April, but was close and may shot for that next time.
Comment #17 by AndreaMay 23rd, 2007 at 6:33 pm