Swimming in London when pregnant, ideally chlorine-free

[Arianna1]

Went to a swimming pool for the first time as pregnant today, was lovely but all this chlorine and increased sensitivity didn’t feel great, plus random studies on harm of chlorine for pregnancy. Anyone has found a place in London to swim that’s chlorine-free or at least low in chlorine ?

Honestly I’d be more concerned about the bugs that might be swimming in non-chlorinated water than a bit of chlorine! Standing water is a lovely breeding ground for all sorts of nasties

I don't think you'll find a public pool that's chlorine-free, surely? There's always the ponds at Hampstead Heath.

It’s just so smelly and not sure it’s good for a pregnant woman to inhale chlorine.. ponds, outdoors??? Hmm

You can have pools which are treated with something other than chlorine, can't you? They often advertise them as being preferable for young babies etc. I used to know one which was iodine or something but it's since closed down.

Chlorine is absolutely fine

Oh - both pregnancies I've preferred swimming outdoors though where the smell of chlorine feels diluted by the open air if that makes sense? The Oasis sports centre near Holborn, and London Fields Lido (poss still closed for refurb) are both outdoor, heated, and I really like them.

Outdoors you risk Weill's disease. Spelling?
You won't be inhaling actual chlorine just a smell. Better than swimming in a soup of bacteria.

There’s literally hundreds of thousands of pregnant women swimming up and down the country in chlorinated pools every year without any impact at all. Don’t look for problems where there are none.

There is no way I'd want to swim in a pool without chlorine or without enough of it in (and I'm pregnant).

OP, I think you'll really struggle to find one.

If this article is anything to go by then I think you will only find chlorine-free pools in some very expensive private clubs and hotels: link.

If you are really concerned then I would second the suggestion to go to an open-air lido. I wouldn't go open-water swimming (Hampstead ponds etc) unless you were already doing it pre-pregnancy, tbh. Hampstead ponds are lovely but there's a lot of duck shit in that water.

I honestly think that breathing in the London pollution on a daily basis (which can't be helped) is far more harmful than going for a swim once or twice a week. If you are near you could go to the Aquatics centre at Stratford as the ceilings are super high so it's well ventilated and I don't find there's an overwhelming smell of chlorine.

Totally understand double checking and worrying about certain things but there are so many things that 'might' be harmful in pregnancy but where the research is completely inconclusive so I would just go by the nhs guidelines to remove unnecessary worry.

Plus I'd rather bathe in chlorine than other peoples' verrucas 😁

Swimming is actually recommended in pregnancy as a gentle form of exercise that can be easier on the joints, especially for those with SPD.

As long as you don’t drink a bottle of undiluted chlorine then you’ll be fine. Have you even seen how much goes into it? It’s not what you’d expect, it just smells very strong. You’re more likely to catch some kind of parasite from non chlorinated water. People’s vagina and willy juices just floating about and hasn’t been neutralised