Having a Bath Whilst Pregnant

[cupcakemafia]

I don't know about you guys but I ADORE a nice warm relaxing bath about once a week. Seeing I'm new at all of this, I just wanted to make sure that it was safe for me to continue indulging myself each week with this special treat...

Is it safe to have a nice warm bath during pregnany?
Is temperature an issue (ie. does it affect the unborn child)?
I'm about 20 weeks pregnant, is there a point where I should stop having a bath each week?

(By the way, I DO shower everyday, in case you were wondering lol. Baths are just a weekly indulgence)

PS. I'm really sorry if this post is making you crack up laughing at my ignorance of pregnancy, but as I said before, I'm new at this (therefore I know NOTHING!)

:cool: Thanks everyone!

[funfarrell]

I had a bath every day when i was preggers. It was so hot my hubby wouldn't get in it. It never did my baby any harm at all. THe only time you shouldn't have a bath, i think, is when your waters break(?)

[tickle]

Yes, your not supposed to after your waters break, can't have sex either.:rolleyes:

[Ana Gram]

I've never understood the whole not having a bath after your waters have broken, what about water births??

I ended up having several baths after my waters broke, didn't seem to be a problem.

[wattle]

I loved my nightly bath ritual too during my last pregnancy. Dh would set up the tape player and light some candles for me (after asking a few times, and with a little muttering going on under his breath!) and I'd soak away.

There's something special about candlelight and soft music in the bath. A beautiful time to bond with bub.

[tickle]

Chelle, someone correct me if I'm wrong, but is it something to do with the length of time you wait, if that makes sense? Could give time for infection to set in, rather than when you are actually in labour babe will be born pretty soon.
Sorry sound like a crazy person today, maybe I should go to bed.:rolleyes:
Anyone with an explanation, I'd also love to hear it!:)

[Mamaduke]

This thread topic reminded me of my pregnancy!
One night while DH was working I thought I'd take a relaxing bath. I got in and after about 45 mins of soaking decided I'd get out....
I COULDN'T!!!:eek:
Getting in was no problem, but because of my size I didn't have the strength in my arms to pull myself up:( and our bath was sooo tiny (well it was after I got in it!)
After sitting and contemplating how I was going to get out I had an idea...
Let the water out, then there'll be more room :confused: (with the pregnancy brain I had at the time, this made perfectly good sense)
Well I let the water out and then there I was, shivering, naked (was I on a buck's night:rolleyes: ) and what seemed like a good idea (letting out the water) only meant that now I was wedged into the bath with no lubrication!!!!
Looked around, couldn't reach the towel, no phone - I thought if I could last until
3am when DH came back from work then I'd be okay...
I wished I had a whistle like that chick in Titanic..."Jack...Jack...Jack" then I'd be rescued - but someone seeing me in this state would be worse than the hypothermia I would soon be getting!
Visions of me on the six o'clock news filled my head, with the fire brigade and a cherry picker used to save me!
Anyway, eventually I managed to gain the willpower to pull my fat a*se out of the bath - never went back in one while I was pregnant!
Baths are great - just measure up the dimensions first!!!!

[drewid]

Arrgh! Just wrote a reply and somehow managed to delete it...grrr

Anyways.

Baths are great, but not too hot - it can affect the delicate temperature in your belly and thats not good for bubs.

Also, too many can lead to thrush - easily fixed, but not good if you have it when you give birth vaginally - it can get passed on to bubs, and then they have oral thrush and then you breastfeed and you get it on your boobs blah blah blah...not fun for anyone!

Also, not after your waters break, can lead to infection. But if you are already in labour, shouldn't be a worry, cos bubs is on the way!

Anyway thats the crummy succint version of my original reply. Dont' have the brainpower to duplicate it right now!

Happy bathing - its such a lovely time to bond with bubs! My bub always kicked the most whilst we were in the bath...bliss!!

[reAllytee]

Oh carlyb im sorry but i have to say i almost wet myself over that story !!!!!
Im still chuckling as i write this heh.
I cant see any probs with baths as long as they arent too hot apparently when your pregnant you start losing what "hot" feels like ( maybe im wrong & this is only just during labour gawd damn mushy brains !!! ) anyways i think its a great way for you to relax if you can. We didnt have a bath as we moved house when i was 6mths preggers & the bathroom ended up having to be demolished !!!!!! ( Lets not even go there !!!!! i was hysterical about it ! ) lucky we had a downstairs shower shame its not very big !!!!! but oh wells it did the job.
Sooooo what im actually trying to say is go for it just make sure when your a lot bigger someone is home otherwise you might end up like carlyb LOL !!!! plus my midwives always said about this when i started getting larger as they knew all the horror stories !
And i do believe Happy Lady is right that it increases the chance of infection if your waters have broken or in my friends case it actually slowed her progress down but her waters hadnt broken. Water births i do believe are done so that when your ready to actually push then youre put into the bath/pool but maybe im wrong on this.

[Shazbutt]

I'm sure i actually read somewhere that too hot a bath can actually bring on contractions sometimes....nevertheless i always had mine pretty hot....:rolleyes: maybe thats a trick to try when you're overdue? ;)

[Baby Girl]

I was a great fan of a nice WARM bath not hot while I was pg. Apparently you can have it too hot and may distress bub but if it is just a few degrees hotter than your body temp it should be okay as your body can still regulate its internal temp.

The midwives at the hospital put me in a bath for pain relief while I was in labour after my waters broke so I think as long as you are aware your waters have broken and you are actually on your way to birth in the near future (ie. within hours) it is not too harmful.

[matty's mum]

While doing a swimming cause we were told that pregnant mums with only around 6 weeks to go should avoid the water, POOL water maybe bath as well but it's not safe infections.

[j&k'smum]

Carlyb, that made me laugh.
I experienced exactly the same thing as you LMAO. I got stuck in the bath too!!! Pulled the plug and then found that to be worse...lol. Thanks for bringing back that memory..ho ho. I can still see myself trying to heave ho out of there.

I loved having nice bubble baths, with the candles and nice relaxing music, watching the baby move inside, ...I loved it!
Gee sometimes I miss the pregnancy days....:D

[Hunter's Mum]

Im not too sure about right or wrong but I had a HOT bath every night when i was pregnant. I found that the only way to relax and get rid of those aches and pains was soaking in the tub... although i probably pulled all the muscles again when i was trying to get back out :D

[JanetF]

I can't work out what could be dangerous about bathing? Water doesn't seep into your uterus, it doesn't cause infections, it's relaxing, it will really help your back and also even give you some practice at relaxing. Why not plan a waterbirth if you find bathing relaxing? Enjoy! Bathing kept me sane last pregnancy! :)

[reAllytee]

I think what everyone has been trying to say with the dangers is possibly over heating bubs or yourself or even slipping when getting out. To me slipping in a bath without being pregnant is bad enough, i knocked myself out once this way so wouldnt be so great if pregnant.

[Mischief]

Carlyb....that story was hysterical....sorry!!! :) Must admit I'm starting to find it harder to get out of the bath...feel a bit like a beached whale at times! :eek:

As for baths i think they are fine as long as they arent too hot. The reason being because you overheat and this can cause the bub to overheat too.... :)

I love my Radox bubble bath....its great for the sore back!!!

[cosmic]

Re: the overheating thing. I was told not to worry too much because by the time the temp is too hot for bubs, it will be hotter than you can stand. As long as it is comfortable for you, you should be ok. I love my baths too.. I just get concerned about bubbles and oils and things (maybe unnecessarily).. so I have been sticking to some lovely (expensive :rolleyes: ) pregnancy bath oil from Perfect Potion. Smells and feels divine!

[reAllytee]

I always blamed bubs for my "expensive" taste when i was pregnant heh cause he always knew which was the best smelling etc ;)
Not my fault he made me so sick & hate certain smells what could i do ???? :p

[moonblossom]

Ahhh my nightly bath. The time when I relax, listening to soothing music and tune in to the baby. The daytimes are usually so busy I've gone through the day forgetting I was even pregnant :S But at night, the baby and me bonded. I couldnt give up that ritual for anything.

[Kaileysmum]

Hi

I had a bath around two time a day when I was pregnant, oh it helps to relax and sooth those sore body parts. I think the only thing is that you shouldnt have a bath after youve lost you bag of waters but thats a while away for you!!! Just have the bath warm though as if its to hot it will overheat you and bub!!!

[tracey beaumont]

Maybe I am the only one out there with this problem but I wanted to have a bath so I did the right thing and waited for my husband to be home so he could help me get out ( I had already falln on my bump twice that week and wasnt going to risk another) but failed to think about how I was to get in! I am 30 weeks pregnant and my bump isnt big, people are surprised when I say how soon I am to deliver, but as I went to get in the bath there was a certain point where I couldnt bend to lower myself in and ended up dropping from a height of around twenty centimetres onto my tail bone into the bath. Needless to say that sent a shocking pain up my spine and I sat upright whimpering for a few minutes before getting to enjoy my bath.

So now I tell people of the dangers of getting IN to your much anticipated relaxing bath, all out there, please be careful!

[Charlie]

My mum told me not to have a bath in the first month or so......Old wives tale is that women use to self abort by having a realy HOT bath....:thumbsdown:

I had a bath every day sometimes!!!! I would just get DH to run it as he always says I have it too hot.....once in the bath I would wait for him to leave and I'd top it up with more hot water though cause he made it too cold!!....I found it sooooo relaxing...takes all the pressure off your sore mussels!! :yelclap:

[wattle]

If you're having trouble getting into the bath, get both feet in then hang onto the side (or rail if there's one) and lower down onto your knees. Then you can sit back, or kind of swivel around onto your bum without hurting your back.

Getting out - I found it easier to get onto hands and knees again, empty the water, then push up and get out.

Unfortunately I used to have a lovely deep bath but the bath in our new place is really short and shallow. Great for bathing kids, no good for whale-like preggo mums.

[Mum2Lucas]

I used to have 2 really hot baths a day while i was pregnant, loved them, especially when i had morning sickness. The only time i didnt feel sick was when i was having a bath. But when i got too big , as with wattle, i found it to be alot easier if i got onto hands and knees when i wanted to get out and then use the side of the bath to help.