Current advice on sunbathing?

[Teddybear33]

Hi

I'm off on holiday in May, praying for some sunshine, big mixed messages on the safety for baby (outside of skin cancer risks for mum).

Is it safe to sunbath with all reasonable precautions taken and should my bump be covered? It's seems there are very few maternity bikinis out there and I'm guessing that's for a reason.

Any advice ladies?

[mrsnec]

Watching this thread with interest. I think the skin cancer risk goes without saying. However, vitamin. D is good and also remember women give birth in hot countries and think about how good the body is at regulating temperature. I wouldn't wear a bikini when I'm not pg so can't advise on that but I agree I've not seen any. I will be sunbathing though I think there are some nice one pieces and tankinis about. I'm just going to head for shade or the water if I feel uncomfortable.

[Honeybear30]

What exactly would a maternity bikini entail? You need space for the bump...maybe that's why they don't exist? Don't know about any other risks i'm afraid but I figure any bikini in a decent size will fit anyone, pregnant or not?

[eurochick]

You can burn more easily when pregnant, apparently, so make sure you are careful but other than that, just make sure you don't overheat.

You don't need maternity bikinis because normal bikinis work perfectly well. I just got back from a sunshine holiday this morning and wore 2 pre-pregnancy bikinis that still fitted my boobs (not all of mine did!) and got one pregnancy tankini for when I was going to be around other people as I am quite self-conscious about exposing my bump. That was just fine.

[VaselineOnToast]

www.nhs.uk/conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/pages/common-pregnancy-problems.aspxt

It is safe but your skin is more sensitive so take care.

Click on 'skin and hair' in the list of links on the above webpage

[Teddybear33]

Thanks ladies. Honeybear I have quite big boobs so wear underwire bikinis which I can't do now, which is why I was asking about maternity bikinis, I suppose the question should have been about non-underwire tops rather than a maternity bikini.

I've opted for a couple of tankinis from blooming marvellous.

[ohthegoats]

Currently in Thailand. I'm being fat on the beach in a normal bikini. Skin is incredibly sensitive. I normally wear f25 and tan easily - going down to f10 after I've got a bit of colour. This time I wore f30 on the first day, was in the sun for half an hour and burned - I haven't burned in 20 years. Couldn't go out for 2 days without a shirt on.

[Honeybear30]

I reckon you could find bikinis with no wire, I know it's hard to get them in a bigger size though. Tankini sounds like a good compromise :)

[hubbahubster]

I've worn underwired bras through this and my last pregnancy, can't see why a bikini would be a problem?

[hubbahubster]

Oh and I also have big boobs, hence I haven't wanted to switch from wires!

[Heatherbell1978]

I was on holiday a couple of weeks back and wore a bikini (just normal one but sized up). I'm not sure pregnancy increases your skin cancer risk but it would perhaps be frowned upon to burn your bump! I just draped a scarf over my bump when I was lying out.

[Plateofcrumbs]

More than anything else I found it hard to find a sunscreen that was "pregnancy safe" (although frankly there doesn't seem to be a huge amount of consensus on what the 'risk' is and what is 'safe'). To err on the side of caution I ended up using a baby sunscreen (turned me ghostly white though!).

I spent more time in the shade/covered up then I normally would, to prevent overheating as much as anything.

[JonathanGirl]

When I was pregnant, the baby would get really active if I sat in the hot sun, kicking, twisting around loads.
It worried me a bit, so I would usually move to the shade - but maybe she was enjoying it!

[HolidayCriminal]

Most people don't get enough Vitamin D. So plenty of sun good, just take usual precautions not to be burnt or over-hot.

[Meglet]

I used to. But I kept my bump shaded by a magazine and went into the shade regularly.

[dimdommilpot]

When i was 5mo ths pregnant with DD1 we went away for a week and got the most horrific sunburn even though i used my usual factor and applied regularly. I could barely walk and my legs were red raw. Just make sure you apply cream more often than usual, your skin is more sensitive.

[Teddybear33]

Plateofcrumbs, re normal sunscreen? Is it not safe in pregnancy? Thanks ladies I'll be super careful as I'm fair skinned anyway x

[Plateofcrumbs]

Teddybear - as with so many things it depends how cautious you want to be! Google 'sunscreen pregnancy' and you'll find some lists of ingredients you might want to avoid if you are being very cautious - but I suspect it's not something that bothers most people.

It's very difficult to find sunscreens without the ingredients to avoid - even some brands of baby sunscreen I checked contained things like nano-particles. So you might reasonably conclude if they're considered safe enough for babies' skin they are safe enough for you!

[slightlyinsane]

I would just confirm anything said about sensitivity to sun. I took the kids to the park yesterday for 20 mins or so and I burnt.

[lentilpot]

I read somewhere that wearing a large hat is a good idea as the hormones can make your skin pigmentation go funny so full shade for the face is a good idea!

[Spaghettinetti]

I've managed to develop 'the mask of pregnancy' dum, dum, dum...just by walking to the shop on a few sunny days. I wear a face cream with SPF, but now have a face like a panda...definitely wear a hat!

[Elastigrrrl]

I don't really understand where the idea that exposing your bump to the sun could be unhealthy for the baby has come from. How, plausibly, could the rays penetrate to the extent that they would harm the baby? If anything, the best scientific evidence suggests we need more natural vitamin D during pregnancy (which sunscreen blocks).

I do on the other hand agree your own skin might suffer more during pregnancy. I have a mole on my face that went crazy-dark after some sun.

[Plateofcrumbs]

I took covering the bump to be about not letting it get too hot, rather than the actual exposure to the sun (which as you say cannot really be a problem for baby!)

[Teddybear33]

Thanks ladies! Spaghettinetti your message made me laugh! I take from all the guidance, cover up and be careful as skin is sensitive and baby is not to be boiled in the bag! X