Quite a few questions...

[shell96]

hello,

Wondering if anyone can answer any of the following questions. It's all stuff i've thought of after my midwife/ante-natal classes and will have probably forgotten before the next one!

1. In my last ante-natal class we were told that if at home during the first stage of labour then a bath is very relaxing when having contractions. I just wondered if i can have a nice luxurious bath full of lovely bath products or does it just have to be a boring, plain, no bath products type of bath? Just wondered if some lush bath bombs would be an infection risk if waters have broken!

2. Sorry if this is TMI! Should i shave my perineum before i go into hospital to give birth? My fiance says that if i dont then it will be done in hospital anyway in case an episiotomy is needed. He has 3 kids already but the youngest is nearly 13 and i just wondered if this is maybe an old practice as i have heard no mention of it anywhere else. Or possibly he is winding me up but seemed v serious at the time

3. Is it safe to get a tattoo while breast feeding? I had been planning one for ages when i found out i was pregnant and am keen to get it done asap after i've recovered from the birth but just wondered if it's safe.

Thanks in advance

1. no idea sorry

2. I am almost completely sure that this is old practise. I have 3 and my oldest is nine in march, I have never been shaved or anyone even mention it

3)Can't see why it would be a problem at all

1. Use whatever you want but maybe be conservative, I would have thought it was the time for a plain olive oil bath or baby bath, not lush, as they are particularly virulent! or few drops of nice smelling oils in it instead. can't see why you'd get infection from it..

2. no way, it's old practice, is now condemned by the world health org, it is a way to get infections because of possible nicks or cuts which can then get infected.

3. I wouldn't have thought tattoo would impact on bf in any way but I would say two things. one is that tattooing carries a risk of hep c and other infections, and the other is that personally I felt like doing a lot of weird things when preg like dying my hair funny colours, having it cut very short etc, and then regretted it, but the tattoo is for life.

I would very much recommend a tens machine, I was totally sceptical but it really really helped the pain for me..

good luck!, you'll be fine!

Thanks both

Um, is the tens machine recommendation for the tattoo or for labour?

Agree with Gemzooks Nice bubbles are fine. I use a lot of lush products too. Perhaps stick to the ones without tons of bits floating around..not the best time to be picking them out of your nooks and crannies!

Don?t shave it!!!

I don?t know if or how a tattoo might be an issue for bf. Personally I would say to hold off your plans for a while and see how things go. My hormones were all over the place for several weeks after giving birth. If I had gone in a tattoo parlour I could well have ended up with something rather outrageous and regrettable!! I had very little common sense for quite a while as could be seen from my spontaneous painting of the kitchen a puky dark olive green with a two week old baby.. My DH won?t let me live that one down. It was horrific and took a lot of painting over

I had an episiotomy with first child. No shaving required. Also, I was unaware they even snipped at the time. After worrying and thinking about it for weeks, when it came to it, I only knew it had even happened when after the birth someone came in to stitch me up (the stitches are soluble and do not need to be removed you will be glad to know!!)

LOL never heard of tens being used for a tattoo - sounds like a great plan

What good advice Gemzooks gave! Can't add to that.

1. if your waters have broken you shouldn't have a bath at all unless the hospital suggest it. If they haven't broken, you can use whatever product you like. Make your bath as relaxing as you can, it's not supposed to get you clean, it's supposed to make you nice and mellow

2. don't shave.

3. Take advice from a MW or BF adviser, but I wouldn't, I would deffo wait till you've stopped.