Spring Pregnancy

Hayfever
Although the grasses which cause most common hayfever symptoms tend be at their 'worst' in June and July, hayfever can kick in as early as February. For many people, the first serious bouts of hayfever strike in April and early May. (This is dependent on the weather as dryer, warmer conditions can make it worse and a rainy spring might change the timings a little.)
For some hayfever sufferers, pregnancy will actually alleviate their symptoms and they may pass through the summer months unaffected. However, while some women will see no change in their usual hayfever pattern, the most severe cases of hayfever are likely to be as bad as usual.
It is worth seeing your doctor and asking about medication as some doctors believe that certain treatments are fine to use in pregnancy whilst others may advise against them. But generally, you will find most manufacturers still advise against using their allergy-relieving medications if you are pregnant (or indeed if you are breastfeeding).
Thus it is useful to find natural ways to lessen the threat of being affected. For hints and tips, go to hayfever in pregnancy.

Dealing with rising temperatures
Although living in Britain means we're just as likely to have snow as a heatwave in April, there are times when spring weather takes a sudden turn for the tropical.
There's evidence that a rise in your core body temperature could be detrimental to your developing fetus, particularly in the first three months when the baby's neural tube is developing: some studies have linked a rise in core body temperature to neural tube defects in babies such as Spin-Bifida.
More generally, a rise in body temperature prompts the body to cool itself down with increasing sweating (which can lead to dehydration) and dilation of the veins, lowering your blood pressure. Your pregnant body's circulation is already taxed with the effort of pumping its increased blood supply around your body and with the drop in blood pressure your heart has to work that much harder again to supply your vital organs, and your baby, with blood. As a result you're more likely to feel dizzy and faint and may fall over and injure yourself, and what's more the blood supply to the placenta may suffer.
This is certainly an issue in summer, but it's a good idea to be prepared in spring, as you can get caught out. For tips and advice on coping with the heat, go to staying cool when it's hot in pregnancy.

Eating well
It's easy when the weather changes to get out of synch with eating habits. If it's too hot we don't feel so hungry. However, it's vital to keep up your dietry intake as otherwise you will find you get more dizzy spells and it might also affect problems like leg cramps.
If you don't feel like eating much, at least tick off the right nutrient boxes with what you can stomach. For a useful checklist, go to pregnancy diet. And don't forget that drinking water is important too.

Enjoying what you look like in spring
After winter the layers of clothes come off. Coats and dark colours are discarded and people start to think about waxing again!
It's not always easy to accept your changing shape as you get further into the pregnancy, but treating yourself to just one or two nice maternitywear items is a great way to celebrate this amazing in change in you. It's NOT because you've eaten too many pies (though if you've had a few extra since the cravings kicked in, who's counting?!) but because you have a life growing inside you. So enjoy!
For tips on what spring maternitywear essentials make a good starting point, go to the Yummy Mummy Maternity Spring Wardrobe feature.
For useful advice on getting those white arms and legs back out in the open, make sure you also read our article on fake tan and sunbeds in pregnancy.