ST. GEORGE — The growing heat wave just before the start of summer is bad enough for most people. What about expectant mothers?

A new Harvard study says pregnant women need to be even more cognizant during times of extreme heat, which is just another summer in much of Southern Utah. St. George has seen record-high temperatures for the last week with August heat in early June. 

According to the study, released in late May, there is around a 1% increase in the number of premature births following a heat wave. The study used data from 52.8% of all U.S. births between 1993 to 2017 alongside weather data. 

The National Weather Service defines a heat wave in a low-humidity climate like St. George as a span of four or more days where the temperature is at or above 100 degrees. St. George has experienced high temperatures of at least 100 degrees each day since June 5 and is forecasted to do so through at least Sunday. 

But while the study and just about everyone locally is focused on the heat, a leading prenatal and maternal doctor at St. George Regional Hospital said the study shows that dealing with the heat is just one of many things an expecting mother needs to keep in mind as they care for their unborn child.  

More importantly, Dr. Kisti Fuller said, needed awareness goes beyond what expecting mothers should do during a heat wave. The need is to be more aware of what they need to do for themselves and their child in the weeks after birth. 

“Me telling you, ‘Out of a 100 women, one more person will deliver preterm if it’s hot.’ That’s not really a bunch. Women who are pregnant are more vulnerable to a lot of things because they get physiologic changes. They’re growing a human,” Fuller said. “But when you look at this study, the increased risk was very minimal. Nothing has been so stark that it was enough to say, ‘Gosh, we need to change what we’re doing.’ Generally, we wouldn’t tell somebody to go sit outside in the hot sun all day when you’re pregnant.”

Before coming to St. George Regional Hospital 10 months ago, Fuller was no stranger to the desert heat. She came from 10 years of practicing in the Phoenix, Arizona, area. Before that, she was raised in St. George. 

The one interesting thing about the study, Fuller said, is that it indicated a greater risk for those who may be new to a climate that sees extreme heat in the summer like Southern Utah. It’s not so much about new moms who grew up here as much as those new to the area who might be used to summers that don’t spike into the triple-digits. 

“People who are like, ‘I lived in Park City all the time,’ those people may be used to different temperatures, and … that can be impactful,” Fuller said. 

As far as anything local pregnant women should be doing differently during summer heat waves, Fuller said the guidance isn’t much different than what most people should be doing: Keep exposure to high heat to a minimum and hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. 

But while the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other leading health organizations talk about 8-ounce glasses of water times eight per day or more, Fuller said one cup size does not fit all.

“I think it can be very deceiving in how much water you need in a day, and everybody’s a little different depending on what they eat and their activity level and how much they’re outside and things like that,” Fuller said. “Everybody’s eating different kinds of food, salty or not salty, exercise, not exercise, working outside, not working outside.”

Instead, Fuller said, pregnant moms shouldn’t look as much at the liquid they’re taking in as much as the liquid coming out. The clearer the urine, the better. More yellow means it’s time for some hydration for both themselves and their passenger. 

“Your urine’s a little bit better rule of thumb to see if you’re plenty hydrated,” Fuller said. “By the time it gets in the toilet, it should be pretty clear.”

Still, while Mother Nature may be in control of the temperature outside, mothers aren’t. And Fuller said there is one thing mothers have control over that they are not doing enough of and is more detrimental to both the growth of their child and themselves: seeing the doctor after giving birth.

“We’re like, ‘Don’t forget to come and see us after you have your baby.’ We want to see you. We want you to come back,” Fuller said. “I actually like to see patients one to two weeks after they deliver to be like, ‘You doing OK, girl? How’s it going? Let’s talk about breastfeeding. Let’s talk about your mood.’ If you wait six weeks — usually, they figured it out, or they’re floundering, and they’re doing terrible.”

The mood and mental health part is becoming more important, Fuller said. That includes fathers who also need to focus more on postpartum care. Fuller said they may not have as much to talk about as far as physical changes to their body, but they still deal with the same kind of “How is parenting going?” questions. 

Something else Fuller said is more important post-birth compared to post-heat wave is the exercise component. And while new grandmothers remember being told to lay off physical activity for a while after giving birth, the current rule of thumb is different.

“People are like, ‘Oh, I was told I couldn’t exercise for six weeks.’ Actually, you can,” Fuller said. “We want to start going on some walks, and we want you to start moving. That helps with depression a lot. It helps with mood.”

Just don’t forget to stay hydrated, especially when it’s really hot.

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