baths and early pregnancy

[tamzo]

I am between 4-5 weeks pregnant and have been reading a lot of things about baths, I was just wondering if I can still have a bath or not

What exactly have you been reading?

Er..
Feel free to have a bath throughout your pregnancy. I'm also intrigued as to what you might have read!

That hot baths can bring on a miscarriage

I wouldn't be having a super hot bath or a sauna but normal baths are fine

Just dont boil the baby! If it makes your skin red, its too hot x

Baths are fine, hot or otherwise (although you're more likely to faint than normal, so too hot not good for that reason). It's hot tubs and saunas that are the issue because the temperature is maintained at a high level (unlike a bath that loses heat) and the skin can't get rid of heat, so they can increase core body temperature - it's that core body temperature increase that can cause a risk to the baby.

Thanks a lot x

It's pretty unlikely that you could bear to sit in a bath hot enough to raise your core temperature for long enough for it to do so.

Take a glass of cold water with you, as long as it's not burning your skin and you don't feel dizzy with the heat it's fine.

Thank you

You won't 'boil the baby'! what a hilarious yet disturbing notion...

Your baby is pretty well protected in its little amniotic bag so having a bath is fine.

The cautionary advice is more about you overheating, becoming dehydrated etc.

Don't sit in a sauna all day or run a desert marathon. But yes, you can have a bath!