Early pregnancy cramps- is it okay to use a hot water bottle?

[Harbourmoon]

Hi all,

About 5 weeks pregnant and been having on antibiotics off cramps for the last week and a bit. I contacted the early pregnancy unit in week 4 as the cramps have been painful and waking me up from my sleep.

No bleeding, so she said to could just be stretching pains or anything. I've been managing the pain with paracetamol and hot water bottles, but just read somewhere there that hot water bottles are bad for fetal development?

It's one of the only thing that helps, any advice of they are safe to use?

Yes but just make sure you add a bit of cold water.

@Coilt I have been doing that, is it still okay to lay on your stomach once you do that

So I did this and then read online that you shouldn’t put it against your stomach. I then lost the pregnancy which I think was totally unrelated, but in the future I’d avoid doing it just in case. I think my cramps were possibility the start of the loss rather than the hot water bottle causing the loss? But I’d avoid personally

@Muddysocks1 I'm sorry for your loss. Do you mind me asking if you had the cramps for long beforehand?

Thank you xx

i had them from 14dpo pretty much every day until i started bleeding on 21DPO (which was 5 weeks I think). But everything I read online said cramping in early pregnancy is totally normal! Think I was just unlucky. But I did worry I’d done something with the hot water bottle and was really worried about it at the time

@Muddysocks1 I've had them from about 10dpo, thought it was my period coming and was surprised when the test was positive.

Hard to tell if they are partly trapped wind, it is very nerve wrecking. I'm just 5 weeks now, but will probably go for an early scan

It is so difficult to know! I knew because I was still taking tests and they’d started to fade.

I enjoyed hot water bottles all through 1st pregnancy. I tried to place them a bit higher on my tummy, and ensure they weren't too hot, but I understand there's quite a lot of bodily tissue to penetrate before actually reaching baby. I also used hot water bottles in this pregnancy, now in 3rd trimester, hopefully all continues healthily.

@MovingBird123 that's good to know thank you, I take it you were getting cramps then and everything went okay?

Cramps can also be a sign of your uterus is expanding with a healthy pregnancy. So not necessarily something to worry about. I can’t imagine how a hot water bottle, with a cover on it and through clothes so it’s an ok temp for your skin, could possibly penetrate through all those layers of skin, muscle, fat etc. to do anything to the baby. I used them without thinking in both of my pregnancies as the cramps were quite something and all was fine- 2 kids both born healthy at 38/39 weeks.

I used the hot water bottle because I felt cold and sick. I had mild cramps here and there towards the start, but not enough to need help for them. I read that they're normal - there's lots of activity taking place there!

I don’t think you should, I would avoid it if I were you. However a warm bath (not HOT but 37 degrees is okay) is fine.