Hot tubs - safe?

[foodaholic]

My DH and I are off to celebrate my 30th and enjoy our last break on our own together in a few weeks time. I'll be 35 weeks when we go. The thing is that the place we're going has a lovely spa and an outdoor hot tub I really want to try. What's the problem with hot tubs in pregnancy - never really understood it? Don't want to do anything remotely risky. Any advice please?

I think it's two things - one that the heat of the water isn't good for the baby

sorry - it's just the heat but two of my friends got really bad cystitis from hot tubs so I'd avoid anyway

Hot tubs are quite bad if I'm being honest, they keep the water at a constant temperature, just warm enough to encourage bacteria to grow, not hot enough to kill bacteria off so they are normally a breading ground unless they are spotless and the water is changed whenever it's used. This and the constant high temp, Lady says, isn't a good idea.

I've avoided them ever since I was a public health student in the U.S.. We were touring a local health department, got talking to the water quality guy, and he said to us, on the subject of hot tubs, 'you do realise that everyone is sweating in there because of the heat, so you end up just bathing in other people's sweat?'

Ewwwww. Never went in one again!

Not sure exactly what the issue is with pregnancy, but suspect the temperature cannot be good.

It is about the temperature, yes - the baby can't regulate its own temperature at that age or even for a while after its born - so putting that level of heat stress on it would be unkind to dangerous, depending on the heat. You are advised not to have very hot baths for the same reason.

Plus as YanknCock and Fluffy say - bacteria - sweat - yuk!

I think the heat is the real problem with pregnancy, but as others have pointed out. Hot tubs are just yuck, like people soup.

outdoor hot tubs worse that indoor ones, as they are generally hotter to compensate for the fact they are outside.

a few minutes is probably ok (other than the sweat/bacteria issues - although i don't buy that unless you are never going to take your baby swimming in the baby pool which is def warm and full of wee - don't believe it is really contained in swimming nappies!) but at 35 weeks you don't want to raise your core temperature by getting too hot.

Being a)outdoor b) 'private' so less people juice than a swimming pool jacuzzi and c) if like the one I went to, you can turn the temp down I'd say it was possibly OK. Obviously not for ages, but jumping in and out might be ok?