While a winter pregnancy can pose challenges you wouldn’t face in summer, it also presents unique opportunities. Vhi Midwife Support Service Manager Breda Crotty is here with tips on how to have a positive journey as you navigate those colder months.

Plenty of pregnant women find themselves pondering whether seasonal changes can have an impact on their pregnancy. It’s natural to consider all the variables on your journey but, ultimately, you can rest assured that your own behaviour will play the biggest role. So, whether your pregnancy spans shorter, darker days or a summer heatwave, being conscious of how you react and adapt to conditions is key.

Winter poses its own challenges but there are things you can do to minimise them. It can even bring unexpected benefits and opportunities. With that in mind, let’s weigh up those pros and cons across the two seasons, and focus on some key areas where a bit of preparation will help make your winter pregnancy as comfortable as possible for you and the baby.

Healthy eating can be harder

While bright days and light meals seem to go hand-in-hand, heavier food can be tempting during the winter months. It’s dark and cold outside, the fire is lit and you don’t feel like eating a salad – so of course you go for the comfort of fast food! So, it can require more of a concerted effort in winter but varying your diet will ensure you’re getting the right minerals and vitamins.

We can be prone to “grazing” during the winter months, so replacing typical snacks with healthier options is a good way to go. Oat bars, for instance, are great. Having lots of healthy nuts in the house is also very good for you, as they’re packed with protein. A handful of blueberries will give you vitamin C, fibre, potassium, folate, and antioxidants. Of course, there are pregnancy cravings that not every snack will satisfy, so reaching for the occasional bar of chocolate is fine. Everything in moderation, as they say!

You’ll be advised to take a daily 400 microgram folic acid tablet until you’re 12 weeks pregnant regardless of the time of year, but a winter pregnancy might also require a vitamin D supplement. Pregnant women need 10 micrograms of vitamin D each day, which can be difficult to get from winter daylight. So, your clinical team might recommend you take a supplement of this amount between September and March. You can also find vitamin D in oily fish, eggs and red meat.

Don’t forget to hydrate

When we think of overheating, summer immediately springs to mind. Certainly, hydration is very important in the hot weather, as you’ll be sweating more frequently. Your blood pressure can also drop when it’s very hot, as blood flows to the skin and pools in the legs.

However, people often forget to keep hydrated in the winter. That water intake remains just as important, regardless of the time of year. Being indoors at home or at work, with the heating on, you can get surprisingly warm and dehydrated very quickly.

It is recommended that pregnant women have at least 2.3 litres of fluid every day. To gauge your hydration, you should be urinating at least 3-4 times a day and your urine should be between straw-coloured to transparent yellow in colour. Rather than waiting to feel thirsty, regularly drinking soup, coconut water and other naturally flavoured drinks will keep you topped up. Simply sipping water throughout the day will work too!

Your skin can also get dehydrated when the air is particularly crisp. This can make you chafe more easily, and compound issues like varicose veins during pregnancy. So, having a moisturiser close to hand is definitely recommended. It can be good to have it near the shower and apply it once you’ve dried yourself off after bathing.

Bundling up

As opposed to summer, when there’s often little you can do about the heat, winter can actually give you more control over your temperature. This can be as easy as adding another layer. Along with keeping you warm, layering will allow you to continue using your normal clothes for a little while longer. Cardigans, for instance, can be a versatile option as your bump grows. Eventually, wearing stretchy fabrics as a base layer will keep you snug. Winter also requires its own kind of footwear. Slip-on boots with good grip are great in a variety of conditions. Plus, avoiding laces will stop you having to bend over.

Taking care outdoors

You’ll see the biggest differences, naturally once you leave the house. Summer pregnancies can be easier in some ways, but also bring considerations like keeping out of the heat if you feel it getting too much. Pregnant women are more photosensitive and sunburn will only serve to make pregnancy that bit more uncomfortable. Remember that is recommended you wear sun protection all year round, not just in the hottest season.

Winter requires other kinds of preparation. As mentioned earlier, appropriate clothing and footwear is key before you step outside. Then you’ll want to watch your step. It’s fine to maintain your normal outdoor exercises, as long as your clinical team advises it, but extra care is required to avoid the trips and slips that can occur on winter surfaces. It’s also advisable to be mindful of how road traffic can struggle with winter conditions – something we can all take onboard to avoid unnecessary danger. Extremely wet or cold conditions should be avoided where possible. By the same token, getting adequate sunlight is important. As is wearing some sunscreen – the winter sun can be stronger than you’d imagine!

Indoor exercises can be important

Enjoyable summer strolls are out, so it can definitely be harder to find the motivation to exercise during dark winter evenings. If you can’t count on the conditions outside – or don’t feel like braving the gym! – there’s still plenty you can do at home. It’s recommended that you keep up your normal level of activity for as long as you are comfortable. Rather than being dangerous for you baby, keeping fit and active helps women cope with labour and get back into shape post-birth. Even if you didn’t exercise prior to your pregnancy, the aim is for 30 minutes of continuous exercise, three times a week.

Yoga and Pilates are particularly good for pregnant women. Both are considered safe if you practice specific prenatal exercises. They can increase your flexibility and muscle strength, give you a stronger pelvic floor, reduce back pain and even improve your mental health on the journey. Bear in mind that your instructor should be aware that you’re pregnant, so they can guide you safely from the start.

How to deal with winter bugs

It can be easier to pick up an illness during the winter months, so evergreen hygiene practices are even more important during a winter pregnancy. That means being conscious of those good habits we all know: ensuring you wash your hands regularly, cleaning surfaces like door handles, keyboard and, yes, your phone!

Check in with your GP or midwife if you are unwell for guidance on how best to manage it and get yourself back to full health. 

Being conscious of low mood

Pregnancy can be fraught with ups and downs as your hormones surge, and there are aspects of winter which can also bring about a dip in mood. Seasonal affective disorder (SAD), for instance, is a well-recognised phenomenon. It usually starts in autumn or winter and lifts in the spring. Though its nature and severity varies from person to person, the symptoms are quite like those of normal depression. These can range from mild irritation and tearfulness to feelings of low self-esteem and despair. If your mood is impacted in a way that feels unmanageable, visit your GP to get properly diagnosed and find an effective treatment.

Enjoying the benefits

There are definite advantages to winter pregnancies over summer ones, so it can be constructive to focus on those. It’s easy to feel incredibly protected indoors during winter, compounding your ‘nesting’ instincts in the latter parts of pregnancy – that burst of joyful energy women can get as they prepare their environment for the baby’s arrival.

Seasonal allergies are also far less likely to flare up during this time, which can save you juggling the symptoms of bad hay fever as well as pregnancy. Overall, there’s plenty of positives to take from winter. It’s a time of the year when families often draw closer together, so it can lend itself in a really lovely way to an increased focus on your support system and the things that truly matter in life.

Making the season work for you

It’s easy for us to get hung up on all the circumstances and variables of a pregnancy. Babies often come when they want to come and there’s very little we can do to control that. Whatever time of the year your pregnancy falls, there will be challenges. You might have emotional ties to a particular due date, if it lands close to a particularly happy event or, on the other hand, to the anniversary of losing a loved one. All of those impacts have to be taken into consideration.

When it comes to the seasons, a little preparation goes a long way. With some constructive thinking using the tips above, and by leaning on the supports at your disposal, your pregnancy can be a wonderful experience – whatever the weather.

Click here to learn about Vhi's Midwife Support Services in place to take care of you and your baby. 

This content is for information purposes only and is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek advice from your GP or an appropriate medical professional if you have concerns about your health, or before commencing a new healthcare regime. If you believe that you are experiencing a medical emergency call 999 / 112 or seek emergency assistance immediately.

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