Should pregnant women take a hot bath?

The article was professionally consulted with Specialist Doctor Obstetrician and Gynecologist - Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology - Vinmec Hai Phong International General Hospital.

Pregnancy can be a beautiful time for every woman, but it's not easy to accept the changes pregnancy can cause in your body. Aside from the everyday stressors that pregnant women experience, the hormones that come up during pregnancy can really change everything. From morning sickness to sore muscles and emotional turmoil, pregnancy can cause many women to experience overwhelming stress. However, excessive and constant levels of stress can negatively affect the growing fetus in utero as well as the woman's own health.
At this time, everything that helps the mother to be comfortable and relaxed is supported. However, finding some time to rest can seem like an impossible task, especially if you have to keep working throughout your pregnancy. That's why a warm bath is a great way to relax at the end of a long day. However, while you're pregnant, be sure to check that your bath water isn't too hot. Exposure to excessive heat can not only cause a pregnant woman to burn her skin from heat, but it can even harm her unborn baby.

When you take a hot bath, your own body temperature will increase. Usually, this will not pose an immediate health threat. However, during pregnancy, if the mother's body temperature is too high and the mother has hyperthermia, the baby in the uterus can be in danger.
Extreme heat can cause some birth defects, especially during the first trimester - 12 weeks - when the baby's organs are developing. The brain and spinal cord are the organs most susceptible to the effects of hyperthermia; Therefore, neural tube defects are more likely to occur during this period.
Another problem with bath water that is too hot is that it can lower a woman's blood pressure. This can affect blood flow from the mother's body to the fetus and can be dangerous at any stage of pregnancy. At first, you may start to feel lightheaded, dizzy or even nauseous; A more severe symptom of low blood pressure is that it increases the risk of fainting and falls, and ultimately injury.
Furthermore, it is essential to be cautious when spending time in a hot spa or sauna. Without direct contact with hot water, the risk of overheating in saunas still occurs, or is even higher. This is because while bathing, soaking in hot water, the actual temperature of the water will gradually cool down; meanwhile, the temperature of the spa or sauna is maintained at a constant high level.
That's why saunas, steam rooms or hot tubs are considered unsafe during pregnancy. In fact, pregnant women can take a hot bath, but avoid bathing in extremely hot water or taking long hot baths.
Some mothers worry that bathing water can enter the uterus and harm the developing fetus. Fortunately, the baby is still protected in the amniotic sac. So, unless the water breaks, the baby remains completely separate from the soaking water.

In general, advice from health professionals is that pregnant women should avoid using spas and saunas or hot baths. However, you can still bathe while pregnant as long as the water is not too hot. Avoid soaking in hot water that can raise your body temperature higher than 39 degrees Celsius (102.2 degrees Fahrenheit) for more than 10 minutes.
So far, though, there aren't any limits to how long and what temperature pregnant women can safely stay in hot environments. Therefore, when taking a shower, check the water temperature with your elbow or forearm before entering. These parts of the arm will be more sensitive to temperature and will give the body a better estimate. The water should still be warm enough for you to release tension and relax your muscles, but if you notice your skin turns red or starts to sweat, it could be too hot.
The most accurate is to dip the thermometer in the bath water or use a baby bath thermometer to monitor the temperature of the water throughout the bath. If you notice a high temperature, you should get out of the tub quickly or reprogram the water heater to maintain a lower, safer temperature during pregnancy.
In short, a hot bath is a great way to soothe sore muscles and relax during pregnancy. The practice of getting pregnant with a hot bath is more than just keeping the temperature just warm enough, not too hot, and being careful when starting to get into the tub is a simple thing that needs to be followed for a gentle pregnancy. In addition, pregnant women should also make sure to take any additional precautions necessary to answer the question of pregnancy, hot baths are always safe and healthy for themselves and their babies during pregnancy. pregnancy period.

The journey of 9 months and 10 days of pregnancy is magical and full of surprises. Vinmec International General Hospital currently offers all-inclusive maternity health care packages with outstanding quality. Pregnant women are accompanied by experienced obstetricians and gynecologists at Vinmec throughout the process during pregnancy - labor - postpartum.
If you have a need for consultation and examination at Vinmec Hospitals under the nationwide health system, please book an appointment on the website for service.