RICHMOND, Va. — The dangerous heat that's been blanketing our region is sending more people to emergency rooms.
Doctors say pregnant women face special risks during these extreme temperatures.
According to experts at VCU Health, pregnant women are more likely to experience heat exhaustion and heat illnesses because the body has to work harder to cool off.
Pregnant women have more blood circulating through their bodies to support themselves and the baby, which can increase risks of dehydration.
Additionally, pregnant women who are exposed to extreme heat are at risk for complications such as low birth weight, preterm labor, birth defects, and gestational diabetes, according to Dr. Shannon Walsh, an emergency room doctor at VCU.
"The thing that I always tell my patients, and I especially tell my pregnant patients, is, listen to your body, because your body's going to tell you, you know you're going to feel like, 'I don't feel very good,' and we're so good at ignoring those cues that our bodies give us, but we have to really listen to our bodies," Walsh explained. "And this applies not just to heat related illness, but to everything in pregnancy and really life."
According to CBS News, climate change experts have actually added 13 pregnancy heat-risk days here in Virginia, and Dr. Walsh is concerned with the heat we are experiencing so early in the summer season this year.
She explained pregnant women especially need to pay attention to the warning signs of heat-related illnesses.
"Some women work in an environment where it's hot," noted Walsh. "They may work outdoors. They may go work in a factory setting where it's not appropriately cooled, and that can be especially risky for for pregnant women.
The CDC has said even one day of high heat can increase the risk for health complications for pregnant women, so Dr. Walsh is encouraging pregnant women to stay indoors. If you do have to go outside, she says to avoid dark clothing and try to do any necessary activities in the early morning hours.
"Listen to your body," said Walsh. "If you start to feel unwell, if you start to get headachy, nauseated, lightheaded, dizzy, cool and clammy, those kinds of things, get out of the heat. Listen to your thirst cues. Drink plenty of cool water, mix in maybe some sports drinks."
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