can you take?..?

Question

Can you take a bubble bath when pregnant?

Answer 1

I always do, but not sure if you are really supposed to. I know that you aren't supposed to take really hot baths. You shouldn't let your body get over 102 degrees.

Answer 2

It is ok as long as it is in the 1st & 2nd trimesters. By the 3rd trimester, you need to take only showers. Especially if you have lost your mucus plug.

Besides feeling like Goldilocks (trying to find a temperature that is just right), a lot of women avoid baths during pregnancy because of old wives' tales. "There is a myth that you can't take a bath while pregnant," says Dr. Randy Fink, an obstetrician in Miami, Fla. "You hear things like 'you'll drown the baby,' which isn't true." He says these myths cause anxiety when a mother-to-be doesn't need it.

Soak Away
Dr. Fink and other experts recommend – and encourage – pregnant women to take regular baths, as long as the water is warm. "As long as she isn't bleeding and doesn't have a ruptured membrane, a warm bath is soothing, especially on the lower back," says Barbara Dehn, a nurse practitioner at Women Physicians OB/GYN Medical Group in Mountain View, Calif. She does recommend that when soaking in the tub, keep the abdomen above water.
A hot bath (and this includes sitting in a hot tub or spa), however, should be avoided. "When a woman is pregnant, she is carrying around 60 percent more blood volume than normally," explains Michelle Collins, a certified nurse midwife in Nashville, Tenn. "Couple that with her progesterone relaxing the blood vessels [and] when she sits in a hot tub of water, her blood vessels dilate and the blood pools out of her extremities. She then goes to stand up, and she is very lightheaded."

Also, the hot water raises the core temperature in a woman's body, and when pregnant, a woman's body can't dissipate the heat easily, adds Dehn.

Love Those Bubbles
Adding bubbles, of course, makes bath time a whole different experience, but there are pros and cons to taking a bubble bath while pregnant.
"Bubble bath solutions are not great for a woman's chemistry whether she's pregnant or not," says Collins. "There is a delicate ph balance to a woman's vagina, and when that ph balance is disturbed by the addition of foreign substances, the 'good' bacteria that are supposed to grow inside the vagina do not thrive, while the bacteria that should stay under control in a normally balanced vagina overtake the area, causing itching, irritation, discharge and odor. When a woman is pregnant, she is especially susceptible to these types of infections because her chemical makeup is altered due to the hormones her body is producing."

A more sensitive vaginal area increases the risk that bacteria can be transmitted into the bladder. Dr. Fink recommends emptying the bladder both before and after a bubble bath, which lessens the chance of an infection.

Dr. Fink also says that a woman's skin may be more sensitive while she's pregnant, and the soaps used in the bubble bath can cause skin irritation. Finding bubble bath especially made for sensitive skin may alleviate the risk of rash.

But remember that even soap bubbles made for sensitive skin make a bathtub slippery. "When you are pregnant, you are more likely to fall because your center of gravity has changed," Dr. Fink says. "You don't want to take a bath when you are alone in the house. Make sure someone is around to help you out of the tub."

As long as she is careful, experts say there are more positives than negatives to taking a bubble bath. "I took bubble baths with my first six pregnancies," says Deborah Illes, a mother from Upper Hutt, New Zealand. "I found bubble baths to be very relaxing, especially at night if I had trouble sleeping." She used candles or lavender oil to create a relaxing, soothing atmosphere.

"It's important to treat yourself to something special to ease your mind of stress at a time when you are overwhelmed with worries," says Dr. Fink, who encourages his patients to pamper themselves with bubble baths.


More of this article:
http://pregnancytoday.com/articles/3878.php?wcat=260

Answer 3

Yes you can all the way up until the end. The only time I would assume is would not be ok is once your water breaks. Otherwise enjoy as a mother of 4 I swore by Warm baths for all the minor aches and pains of pregnancy..

Answer 4

Yes, but be aware of the temperature. DO not soak in a scalding or extremely hot bath. You do not want your body temp to peak because that is harmful to the baby. Soaking is a great idea. comfortable and relaxing... Just keep the temp warm and gradually add hot water to keep the bath from getting cold!!

Answer 5

Sure why not? It shouldn't be harmful at all. BUT be careful with the bubble bath that you are using. Some can cause UTI

Answer 6

yes, enjoy it while you can it will be a long time after the baby before you see a bubble bath again.

Answer 7

I'd ask your doctor. It depends on how pregnant you are and how hot the bath is. If you're really far along, my OB told me no baths in case I was leaking fluids. And no hot baths because you don't want to raise your body temp too much.

Answer 8

Bubble baths in general are not something women should do periods. they cause yeast infections and others. and when early in pregnancies can cause contractions.

Answer 9

just dont eat the bubbles like me =0

Answer 10

absolutly ...go run that bath and enjoy...your still totally normal...and can do all the normal things safely... and chill out amongst the bubbles ...im sure baby will love it too