Hot Water Baths When Pregnant Apparently Dangerous

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Medical Video: Hot Water Bath Vs Cold Water Bath - Which One Is Better - Cold Shower Benefits

Soaking in hot water can relax the body and help improve mood, especially for pregnant women whose moods are easily changed due to hormonal changes. But did you know, it turns out that soaking in hot water when pregnant can pose a risk to the fetus?

Effect of water temperature on pregnant women

Soaking in warm water is one of the things you should avoid when pregnant. The temperature of hot water for soaking reaches at least 38.9 degrees Celsius, if you only soak for 10 to 20 minutes, your body temperature will also increase because it adjusts the surroundings. Increased body temperature occurs due to the body being unable to sweat when soaking, so the body cannot release heat and eventually makes the body temperature increase automatically. This will cause hypertemia in pregnant women.

When hyperthermia, blood pressure will decrease. If blood pressure decreases in pregnant women, it causes a decrease in the distribution of oxygen and nutrients in the fetus. Lack of oxygen and nutrients in the fetus, resulting in various complications such as low birth weight, disability in infants, even fetal death or miscarriage.

Research that has been done, shows that soaking hot water during the first trimester will increase the risk of babies experiencing abnormalities in body function at birth, such as abnormalities in the brain and nervous system. Other studies reported in birth defect research found that the first trimester was a vulnerable period and the risk of a mother having a miscarriage at this time was very high.

Bacteria in water

In addition to temperature, the thing that is feared can have a negative impact on the health of the fetus is the bacteria that are in the marinade. If you have your own soaking area, make sure to use a disinfectant and the pH of the water should be between 7.2 and 7.8. But if you soak in a public place, before taking a bath ask questions about the cleanliness of the pool at the management, the question can be how many people use the pond, how often the pool water is replaced, and whether to use disinfectants.

A safe way to soak when pregnant

If you are in the early trimester, you should not soak in hot water, even if you only soak for a while, because it will directly affect your body temperature. Instead, you can soak your feet with warm water, this can help you relax and calm down. But if you have passed the first trimester and want to soak in hot water, the following steps can reduce the risk of complications in your pregnancy:

  • Soak in the bath for no more than 10 minutes and often come out of the water so that the body returns to cold.
  • Sitting in a part where the water temperature is not too high, avoid sitting near the hot water jet because the water temperature in the section is usually hotter than the other parts.
  • If you feel sweating and feel uncomfortable, get out of the water and immediately cool your body. Do not return to the bath if you are not comfortable and your body has not returned to normal.
  • Try to keep your chest from being submerged in water, even better if only half the body is submerged by water, so your body temperature does not immediately increase dramatically.
  • Do not take a bath if you have a fever or flu, it will worsen your condition.
  • Reducing the soaking water temperature, this will reduce your risk of hyperthermia.

What if you take a bath with warm water?

Bathing with hot water is safe for pregnant women, because the risk of experiencing hyperthermia is smaller. As long as the temperature of the water used for bathing is not too high, this does not pose a risk to the health of the fetus. In addition, taking a bath with hot water for a long time also will not directly increase your body temperature. Even if your body temperature increases due to exposure to hot water, this will not last long, because the body is not in the water and can quickly return to normal temperatures. Perform routine consultations with your doctor and if necessary ask if you can use hot water when taking a shower, because the effects and conditions of each person is different so that it will cause different effects.

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Hot Water Baths When Pregnant Apparently Dangerous
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