Staying Nourished in the Heat: A Guide for Pregnant and New Mums

If you've already read my blog on feeding children during a heatwave, you'll know that hot weather genuinely changes how our bodies feel about food and drink. And if it affects children that much, it absolutely affects you too, especially if you're growing a baby or recovering from birth.

This one is for you, Mama. Because when you're pregnant, breastfeeding, or in the thick of those earlypostnatal weeks, staying nourished and hydrated in the heat isn't just about comfort, it matters deeply for your health, your milk supply, your energy, and your baby.

You are not failing if your appetite has disappeared in this heat. You are not doing anything wrong ifcooking feels impossible right now. Let's make this as simple and manageable as possible, one step at a time.

For Pregnant Mums: Hydration Comes First

Why Staying Hydrated in Pregnancy Really Matters

Hydration in pregnancy does so much more than quench your thirst. It supports your growing blood volume (which increases by around 45–50% during pregnancy), helps cushion and protect your baby through amniotic fluid, supports nutrient transport to your placenta, and keeps constipation, already a common pregnancy complaint, from getting worse in the heat. It also helps regulate your body temperature, which your body is already working overtime on.

In simple terms: when you're dehydrated in pregnancy, everything gets harder. Headaches creep in. Fatigue deepens. Braxton Hicks contractions may become more frequent. And in more severe cases, dehydration can affect amniotic fluid levels.

Aim for around 1.5–2 litres of fluid a day as a baseline, and more on hot days or if you're active. If your urine is pale yellow, you're doing well. Dark yellow is a sign to sip more.

When Nausea Makes Drinking Hard

If you're in the first trimester or if pregnancy nausea has lingered, the thought of drinking plain water can feel genuinely repulsive. You're not alone in this. Here's what often helps:

• Sip little and often rather than trying to drink large amounts at once

• Cold or iced drinks often feel more tolerable than room temperature

• Try sparkling water — the bubbles can help settle nausea for some women

• Add a squeeze of fresh lemon or lime — a sharp citrus note can make water feel more appealing when you're queasy

• Diluted coconut water provides natural electrolytes and a gentle sweetness

• Cold herbal teas — peppermint or ginger (iced and diluted) are both nausea-friendly and safe in pregnancy

• Watermelon juice or blended cucumber water — gentle, cold, and hydrating

Avoid very sugary drinks, which spike your blood sugar and can make nausea worse.

The Most Hydrating Fruits and Vegetables

When eating feels like a chore, eating your water is a brilliant strategy. These foods are naturally high in water content and easy to eat in small amounts:

Top hydrating fruits:

• Watermelon (92% water) — a summer essential, easy to cut into chunks and keep in the fridge

• Strawberries and raspberries — both over 90% water, full of vitamin C

• Melon (cantaloupe and honeydew) — cooling, sweet, and gentle on the stomach

• Peaches and nectarines — beautiful this time of year

• Grapes — easy snacking, no prep needed

• Cucumber (technically a fruit!) — 96% water, the ultimate cooling snack, slice and keep in cold water in the fridge

Hydrating vegetables:

• Celery — great with hummus or nut butter

• Courgette — easy to eat raw in salads or quickly steamed

• Lettuce and leafy greens — add to wraps, sandwiches, or eat as a simple salad

• Tomatoes — high in water and lycopene, an important antioxidant in pregnancy

When Appetite is Low: Making Every Bite Count

Focus on Protein and Healthy Fats for Energy

Hot weather naturally suppresses appetite, your body is trying to generate less internal heat from digestion. This is normal and temporary. But when you're pregnant, your body still has nutritional needs that don't pause for a heatwave.

Rather than trying to eat large meals, focus on small amounts of high-protein, healthy-fat foods that give you sustained energy without making you feel heavy or overheated.

Protein-rich options that work well in the heat:

• Eggs — cold hard-boiled eggs, egg salad, or a simple frittata eaten at room temperature

• Greek yoghurt — thick, cooling, and packed with protein. Add berries for hydration

• Smoked salmon — no cooking required, rich in protein and omega-3

• Tinned fish (salmon, sardines, mackerel) — quick, no oven needed

• Hummus — endlessly versatile, keep a tub in the fridge

• Cold cooked chicken or leftover roast

• Cottage cheese with cucumber or fruit

• A handful of mixed nuts and seeds

Healthy fat sources for slow-burning energy:

• Avocado — add to anything, or mash with lemon on toast or rice cakes

• Nut butter (almond, cashew, peanut) — on rice cakes, apple slices, or a spoon straight from the jar (no judgement)

• Cheese — easy, no prep, pairs with anything

• Full-fat natural yoghurt

• Olive oil drizzled over salads or vegetables

These foods fuel you without demanding much from your digestion, which is exactly what you need when it's 30 degrees and you're growing a baby.

The Picky Plate: Perfect for Hot Summer Days

A picky plate or grazing plate is one of the most practical, low-effort ways to nourish yourself when cooking feels impossible and appetite is low. And it happens to be one of my absolute favourites to suggest this time of year.

What is a picky plate? A relaxed arrangement of small amounts of different foods, no cooking required, no pressure to eat everything, just a variety of nourishing options on a plate or board that you can dip in and out of.

A Summer Picky Plate for Pregnant Mums

Build yours from these categories — choose what appeals, there are no rules:

Protein: Hard-boiled eggs, sliced smoked salmon, hummus, cottage cheese, sliced deli meat (opt for cooked rather than cured during pregnancy), a few cubes of cheese

Hydrating fruits and veg: Watermelon chunks, sliced cucumber, strawberries, grapes, sliced melon, cherry tomatoes, celery sticks

Healthy fats: A few cubes of avocado, a small pot of nut butter or tahini, olives, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil

Easy carbs (small amounts): A few oatcakes or rice cakes, a small portion of quinoa salad, wholegrain crackers

Extras: A handful of mixed nuts, a dollop of natural yoghurt with honey, a few pieces of dark chocolate (yes, it counts — magnesium is important in pregnancy)

Adding to Your Weekly Shop

Keep these on your regular delivery order so they're always available:

• Bags of pre-washed salad leaves

• Cherry tomatoes, cucumber, avocados

• Watermelon (whole or pre-cut)

• Greek yoghurt

• Hummus (good quality, keep two tubs)

• Smoked salmon or tinned fish (sardines, salmon)

• A block of cheese and a bag of rice cakes

• Bags of grapes and mixed berries

• Mixed nuts and seeds

• Medjool dates (great energy hit in pregnancy)

• Ready-cooked eggs (most supermarkets sell these, they're a lifesaver)

For New Mums: Postnatal Depletion + a Heatwave Is a Lot

If you've recently had a baby and you're now navigating a heatwave on top of everything else your body is doing, I want you to know: this is genuinely a lot. Nine months of growing a baby, giving birth, and now feeding and caring for your newborn, your body is nutritionally stretched at the best of times. Add heat, disrupted sleep, and reduced appetite, and it's no wonder so many new mums feel completely floored in summer.

You are not failing. You are not being dramatic. Your body needs support, and that support starts with small, consistent nourishment.

Breastfeeding Mums: You Need Extra Fluid (and Then Some More)

Breastfeeding already increases your daily fluid needs significantly and in the heat, those needs increase further. If you're wearing your baby in a carrier, both of you are generating heat and you're losing more fluid through sweat than you might realise.

What does this look like practically?

• Keep a large water bottle (at least 750ml–1L) with you at all times

• Drink a glass of water every single time you sit down to feed, make it a non-negotiable habit

• Add electrolytes to your water if you're sweating a lot, a pinch of sea salt and a squeeze of lemon in water works, or a good quality electrolyte, I am happy to advise

• Diluted coconut water is another gentle source of natural electrolytes

• Iced herbal teas (peppermint, rooibos, chamomile) work well — note that peppermint in large quantities may reduce milk supply, so keep it to a cup or two

• Cold smoothies made with milk, yoghurt, or kefir count towards your fluid intake and add protein too

If you're formula feeding, you still need plenty of fluid, your body is recovering from pregnancy and birth, and heat makes dehydration reach you faster.

How Do I Know If My Baby Is Getting Enough in the Heat?

This is one of the most common questions I hear from new mums in summer, so I want to address it clearly.

Babies from 0 to 6 months (exclusively breast or formula fed): According to UK NHS guidelines, babies under 6 months do not need water, breast milk or formula provides all the fluid they need, even in hot weather. However, breastfed babies may want to feed more frequently in the heat, which is completely normal. They are regulating their own fluid intake. If in doubt, offer the breast more often.

If you're formula feeding, continue making formula as directed by the manufacturer, do not dilute formula to give your baby extra fluid.

Signs your baby is well-hydrated: at least 6 wet nappies in 24 hours, soft fontanelle (the soft spot on the head), normal skin tone and alertness.

Signs to watch for and contact your midwife or GP: fewer than 6 wet nappies in 24 hours, sunken fontanelle, dry mouth, very dark urine, unusual drowsiness, or skin that stays "tented" when gently pinched.

Babies from 6 to 12 months (on solids): Once your baby has started solid foods, small sips of cooled, boiled water can be offered from a cup with meals. This is guidance from NHS Start4Life for babies in warm weather. Breast milk or formula remains the primary source of nutrition and hydration.

Continue offering milk feeds as usual. Do not replace milk feeds with water, the milk is still where the nutrition comes from.

What to Eat When You're a New Mum in a Heatwave

Postnatal depletion is real, and hot weather doesn't suspend it. Your body needs protein for tissue repair and healing, healthy fats to support your mood and hormones (omega-3 in particular), and iron, zinc, B vitamins, and magnesium to replenish what pregnancy and birth took from you.

The good news: none of this needs to be cooked right now.

A Postnatal Picky Plate

This is the format I recommend most to new mums, and it could not be more perfect for summer:

Protein first (your most important focus):

• Hard-boiled eggs or egg mayo

• Smoked salmon pieces or a tin of sardines

• Sliced cold chicken or leftover meat

• Cottage cheese or Greek yoghurt

• A scoop of hummus

• Sliced cheese

Hydrating fruits and veg:

• Watermelon, strawberries, grapes, sliced melon

• Cucumber, cherry tomatoes, celery

• Cold roasted veg from the fridge (make a big tray at cooler parts of the day)

Healthy fats:

• Half an avocado

• A handful of mixed nuts and seeds

• A drizzle of olive oil over everything

• Nut butter on oatcakes

Extras that matter:

• Dark chocolate (magnesium, iron, antioxidants — genuinely a postnatal powerhouse)

• Oats (if you're breastfeeding, oats are traditionally associated with milk supply support — make an overnight oat pot the evening before)

• Medjool dates — easy energy, rich in iron

• Kefir or yoghurt — gut support for both you and your breastfed baby

Eating Little and Often

If big meals feel overwhelming, eating small amounts every 2–3 hours keeps your blood sugar stable, supports your milk supply, and prevents the energy crashes that make the afternoon with a newborn even harder.

Keep a small bowl of mixed nuts, a pot of yoghurt, or some cheese and oatcakes at your feeding station. Snack while you feed. Don't save eating for when you feel organised, you may be waiting a while.

A Note on the Whole Picture

I know this is a lot to read when you're running on broken sleep and it's 28 degrees indoors. So here's the short version:

If you're pregnant in the heat: Sip often, eat hydrating foods, build a picky plate, and don't panic if your appetite is low, small amounts of protein and healthy fats are enough to keep you going.

If you're a new mum in the heat: You need more fluid than usual, protein at every opportunity, and permission to eat in the most effortless way possible. A picky plate is your best friend this summer.

If you have a baby under 6 months: They are getting everything they need from milk, even in this heat. Offer feeds more frequently and watch their nappy output.

If you have a baby 6–12 months on solids: Small sips of water with meals is fine. Milk feeds remain the priority.

Read Next ‍

This blog is the follow-up to my post on feeding children in a heatwave if your little one has also gone off their food in the heat, that post is for you.

Louise Slope is a BANT-registered nutritional therapist specialising in pregnancy, postnatal recovery, and child nutrition. For personalised support, book your free 20-minute discovery call at www.nourishednest.co.uk/book-a-free-discovery-call

No perfection required, just progress. One step at a time, together.