Can pregnant women take a bath with salt? The benefits of taking a bath in early pregnancy. When is it better to stop taking a bath?
The daily routine of an expectant mother is traditionally limited by many prohibitions. We are so used to this situation that we are not even surprised. For example, it is believed that one should not take a bath while expecting a child. In fact, the question of whether this is worth doing should be discussed with the doctor who is managing your pregnancy, and most likely he will not be against it.
Pregnancy should be a healthy period and big world for the expectant mother. Following a balanced diet, practicing and taking care of your beauty are ways to make the nine months more interesting and even fun. And for this moment, to make it even more special, it is worth clarifying some myths and truths about the stages of pregnancy that still leave women in doubt.
Can pregnant women take a warm bath?
True. Maintaining a healthy diet during pregnancy is critical to ensuring that your baby gets all the nutrients it needs to thrive. Ideally, the diet should be spread over five meals a day, consisting of lean ingredients that are sources of protein, iron, calcium and folic acid.
During pregnancy, only hot baths are contraindicated for women, as they can cause miscarriage.
Warm bath, before diving into which future mom take a shower, it's safe.
It's better not to add to water essential oils, and you shouldn’t lie in the bath for a long time. Take care of safety: place a non-slip mat on the bottom, and let someone from your family be nearby to come to your aid if necessary.
Medical contraindications should be avoided. Otherwise, the action is healthy for the parents and safe for the baby. Sexual intercourse can be carried out at any stage of pregnancy if the woman feels comfortable. It is important for a couple to take care to maintain their sex life in this period. During pregnancy, a woman can and should exercise, except in cases where it is necessary to maintain rest for medical reasons.
Exercise reduces back pain and swelling, helps control weight, and makes a woman more prepared for childbirth. It is important to remember that before you begin any physical activity, you should consult with your doctor to find out the recommended options. Usually the most significant exercises are with low level activities such as light walking, stretching and water aerobics.
How do baths affect the body of a pregnant woman?
Many women are concerned about the question of whether it is possible to take a bath during pregnancy. Your attending physician will give you the answer.
A bath has a good effect on the expectant mother’s body, as it reduces swelling, improves blood circulation and blood flow to the legs, relieves tension and reduces lower back pain. It is very useful to take foot baths with sea salt during pregnancy.
The warmth of the water stimulates the dilation of blood vessels and can therefore cause a drop in pressure and discomfort. This can happen to anyone, but since pregnant women already have the lowest blood pressure, it may happen more often. In addition, very hot bath dries out the skin, which can contribute to the appearance of stretch marks. Therefore, it is ideal during pregnancy to take warm and quick baths. Important advice is not blocking the bathroom door, so if you feel unwell, it will easily help.
Black beer contains alcohol as well as other beers and does not affect breast milk production, so should be avoided during the nine months of pregnancy and during breastfeeding. To ensure the quality of milk that will provide for the baby, a woman must master food, eat fruits, vegetables, carbohydrates, proteins and many liquids such as water and natural juices. In addition, the mother should try to rest as much as she can since prolactin, a milk hormone, has a peak release during sleep.
But before adding essential oils to water, you need to consult a doctor. Most often, tea tree oil and rose oil, as well as eucalyptus, orange and sandalwood, are used for these purposes, but the possibility of allergies to these substances must be taken into account.
The dangerous effect of a bath on a pregnant woman’s body is that the blood at this moment strongly rushes to the pelvis, causing the risk of premature labor. However, this warning only applies to baths that are too hot. If you stick to the golden mean in this matter and monitor the water temperature, this procedure will only benefit you.
Vitamin supplements formulated for pregnant women are also important during breastfeeding because they contain: nutrients, enriching breast milk. In general, the first and last months are the ones that take more care. This is due to the fact that on early stages Nausea and dizziness usually occur during pregnancy, and therefore there is a high risk of fainting in the water and drowning. In the end, expectant mother already with a huge belly and therefore ends up experiencing more problems with walking and balance, also experiences a greater chance of falling.
It is also believed that taking a bath is less hygienic than showering because bacteria from the skin can enter the vagina. And yet, for those who keep their feet and the bath itself clean, the risk of “catching” an infection is low.
Precautionary measures
You can take a bath during pregnancy, just try to follow a few simple rules. Doctors generally do not recommend these procedures during the first and third trimesters of pregnancy, as these are the most vulnerable periods in pregnancy.
Gynecologist and obstetrician-gynecologist Dr. Erica Mantelli explains that because of these and other risks, a pregnant woman should always be accompanied when entering the sea or swimming pool, regardless of her stage of gestation. "The ideal is to choose quieter beaches that are not too crowded and go to sea accompanied by someone, because if you are unbalanced you will have support," he recommends.
In the sea, the water should reach the maximum at the knees, and places with many waves should be avoided. In this case, the risk is that the wave violently collides with the abdomen and causes trauma to the abdomen, which can cause pain, contractions of the uterus and, moreover, severe cases, bleeding due to displacement of the placenta. Therefore, the orientation should always be to turn your back if waves begin to form.
In the second trimester, you can safely allow yourself to lie in warm water. Make sure that its temperature does not exceed 36 degrees, or better yet, that it is even lower.
It is very important that there is someone at home besides you to come to your aid if you feel unwell. Don't lock the bathroom door.
It is better to lay a rubber mat or mat on the bottom of the bathtub to prevent accidental slipping. As for the procedure time, do not stay in the water for more than 15 minutes. Before getting into the bath, you can take a shower to wash off sweat and dirt.
A pregnant woman cannot dive in a pool. "Be careful to enter and exit the access ladder and move close to the edge so that you are able to stand up if you feel uncomfortable or unwell," Dra advises. According to her, physical actions in water are large, but they must be done with the permission of the obstetrician and accompanied by the teacher physical education. “Avoid going more than three hours without feeding or socializing, with rest periods and breaks to drink water during exercise.”
Can pregnant women take a bath?
The recommendation also applies to activities carried out from water, which can also only be applied with permission and follow-up. The most suitable are walks on the beach and on the promenade or even at the edge of the sea, where the water is very shallow. Stretching yourself morning and evening, as well as yoga and Pilates are also recommended. Take care of very soft sand, which can cause ankle curl, and always talk to your doctor to adapt the actions to the month of pregnancy.
The question of whether it is possible to take a bath during pregnancy or whether you should limit yourself to taking a shower worries many expectant mothers. Let us say right away that there is no categorical ban on taking baths for pregnant women, but there are certain conditions that must be observed so as not to provoke complications.
1. First of all, you need to ensure that the pregnant woman is safe in the bathroom. To do this, you should lay a special rubber mat on the bottom, which will prevent you from slipping and falling.2. It is advisable that the bathtub have handrails that you can hold on to when changing body positions or when you get out of the bathtub. If there are no such handrails, and your tummy is already very large, ask your husband to help you.
Serum bath
Another important concern that an expectant mother should have at the beach is sun protection and hydration. Due to hormonal production, a pregnant woman is at greater risk of having blemishes on her skin, so she should overuse sunscreen and don't think about reapplying it every two hours. Exposure to the sun should preferably take place before 10 am and after 4 pm, and during peak hours she should be protected under an umbrella and wear a hat or cap, advises the specialist. Dehydration can cause illness characterized by headaches, decreased salivation, dizziness, low blood pressure and fainting, as well as urinary tract infections, which, if worsened, pose a greater risk of premature birth.
3. The temperature of the water in the bath should be between 37–38°C. Hot water can cause miscarriage or premature birth.
4. Staying in the bath should not be too long. Optimal time is 15–20 minutes. The frequency of bathing is no more than 2-3 times a week. Such restrictions are due to the effect that taking baths too often and for long periods of time can have on the pregnant woman and her unborn baby. Negative influence due to the composition of the water (for example, due to the admixture of chlorine). In addition, taking a long bath can contribute to the penetration of infection into the uterus if the integrity of the mucous plug, located in the cervical canal and protecting against infection, is damaged.
The recommendation is to consume at least two to three liters of filtered water per day and only drink bottled water from a sealed bottle. Don't spend too much time wearing a wet bikini: this creates moisture in the intimate area, causing fungal growth and can lead to vaginal infections.
Avoid eating from underground stalls and street vendors. Choose light foods and avoid frying. Also opt for lower calorie ice creams such as fruit. Escape from the peak of the sun and excessive heat, which causes vasodilation that can result in a fall blood pressure and swelling.
5. Try not to use bubble bath, as it can cause allergic reaction(even if you used it without any problems before pregnancy) or provoke the development of a predisposition to allergies in the unborn baby.
6. If you like aroma baths, then you should remember that the following are contraindicated during pregnancy aroma oils: oil of cedar, thyme, cypress, juniper, cinnamon, patchouli, basil, rosemary. These oils cause an increase in uterine tone and can cause miscarriage or premature birth. Using sea salt look at its composition for the presence of these oils.
Beach towns have different heights. Therefore, traveling to these places may interfere with blood pressure, which is usually more pronounced in the second trimester of pregnancy, but can occur at any time. Watch for seasonal times when there is a higher risk of water contamination and spread infectious diseases, which can cause diarrhea, vomiting and dehydration.
Always have your prenatal chart done with you if you need to see a doctor. Here are tips on how to care for skin changes during pregnancy. Although pregnancy symptoms are very subtle, they can be perceived by paying close attention at first.
7. Carefully monitor the cleanliness of the bathtub - be sure to wash it before drawing water, because in conditions high humidity Fungi and various bacteria easily multiply in the bathroom.
8. Ideally, special water filters should be installed in the bathroom to purify it from all kinds of impurities that can negatively affect the pregnant woman’s body.
Baths with herbal decoctions
Some women who are in tune with their bodies can see when they are pregnant, but the vast majority only suspect one thing after a few weeks of delay. menstrual cycle. Since pregnancy is a very intense time of both physical and psychological changes, these can vary from woman to woman, many may experience several symptoms while others may have none, but although pregnancy symptoms are very subtle, they can be perceived at first, enough attention.
Lying in the bath is contraindicated for pregnant women under the following conditions:
- Threat of miscarriage(with or without bleeding) – in this situation, the cervix may be slightly open, which can lead to infection entering the uterine cavity. Besides hot water can cause blood flow to the pelvic organs, which will worsen the situation.
- Isthmic-cervical insufficiency(a condition in which the cervix opens and effaces prematurely). The danger of baths is the same as in the case of a threatened abortion.
- Urinary tract infections, for example, acute cystitis (inflammation of the bladder). During the inflammatory process, the risk of developing ascending inflammation of the urinary tract increases due to the penetration of infectious agents from the water.
- Fever bodies. Taking a bath, especially a hot one, in this situation can interfere with normal heat transfer.
- It is not recommended to take a bath after the mucus plug comes out because it is lost protective function and infectious agents can enter the uterine cavity with water.