Baths during pregnancy

[LDNlady]

Am 7+1 and currently feel really quite rotten most days. For me, the only time I feel relatively normal is when I am relaxing in the bath but have been reading all sorts about wether having a bath is such a good idea because of the heat on tummy and baby! The bath isn't roasting hot and to be honest the water doesn't cover the whole of my belly anyway. Anyone got any ideas as to whether I should carry on with the baths or should I resort to less relaxing showers?

As long as you're not heating up (skin going pink, sweating, getting dizzy, etc) then they're fine.

Have a bath. Not too hot. It's more important for you to relax.

have always been a roasty toasty bath person, didn't change during pregnancy.

ditto what japhrimel said!

showers are just functional, baths are lush - enjoy them

I pretty much lived in the bath most evenings of all 3 pregnancies

I often get out the bath with pink skin

Oh thank you ladies. I too seem to be living in my bath in the evenings right now cos it just feels soooooo good. Not only that, I want to make the most of them while I can still get in, and most importantly out, without the aid of a crane!!

i have been addicted to very hot baths all my adult life - i would have to sort of lower myself into them. however, following four miscarriages in a row i decided to stop having very hot baths just in case it was a factor. happily i'm now 28 weeks pregnant. i have absolutely no idea whatsoever whether the hot baths were ever a factor (we have done other things with this pregnancy, medication wise, that may have kept it going) but it just seemed sensible to avoid them for the first trimester. i didn't stop having baths altogether - i just made them much cooler and sort of lifted my tummy up a bit so it wasn't fully immersed. i'm still being a bit cautious but as the pregnancy has got to third trimester and i'm relaxing a bit i feel my baths getting hotter again! don't think i'll ever go back to scalding ones though

Just thought that I'd add that my midwife says the jacuzzis are fine too, again if not ridiculously hot - I have always read that these are a no no and was bemoaning my limited spa day (30th b'day present) to her. In fact, Swedish women continue to have saunas, though I wouldn't want to.

I love baths when I am pregnant, more so in the last trimester. Who is it that is trying to take away another of my simple pleasures suggesting it is bad for baby, just so that I can read up?

Just to add - it doesn't matter whether your tummy is hot or not, the point is whether YOU are hot.

For example, clutching a hot water bottle to your tummy is probably fine but getting in a massively hot sauna until you feel dizzy probably isn't.

The problem isn't "burning your baby" but that when you're hot, your blood flow is diverted to other parts of your body (like your skin - which is why you go pink) to cool yourself down. This means there's less blood to go 'round for your baby.

So don't worry about whether your tummy is in or out, instead consider your overall temperature and feeling.

Please note: this is based on my research and opinions so feel free to ignore :)

Yep that sounds right PipPipPip- its recommended not to let your temp go above 102F. trying to gauge how much exercise I can do without going above this or 140bpm. I lurrve hot baths, am so going to miss the steam/sauna over the winter...

OOoooom my absolute most favourite pregnancy thing was a lovely hot warm bath in which I would wallow for an age poking my tummy and watching it poke back

I've reduced the temperature of my baths so I don't flush pink but with backache already at 17+3 there is no way in hell that I'm giving them up!

I have been having a bath every evening since week 1 (am 22 weeks now) with no apparent side effects. DH usually goes in first and he likes scorching baths, whereas I like it slightly less violent. I get pinkish but not dizzy...I think that's okay! So long as you don't drink gin in it I think you'll be fine.

the bath temperature must be below 37C degrees according to the medical encyclopeadia (eg, very close to your own body temperature)