The bath has long been considered a powerful means of healing, relaxation, hardening, and increasing immunity. And the love of visiting the bathhouse among Russians, one might say, is in their blood. Therefore, the question of the possibility of bathing procedures often arises in pregnant women.
The period of waiting for a child is a very responsible one, which imposes restrictions on many areas of the future mother's life. But with regard to the bath, there is no consensus on the admissibility of the procedure.
"Pros and cons"
The bath is the effect on the body of high temperatures, humidity, as well as temperature extremes, therefore, medicine regards a visit to the bath as a highly effective physiotherapy procedure. There is no single expert opinion on whether or not it is possible to take a steam bath during pregnancy. Doctors say that in each case, the decision must be made individually.
First of all, you need to understand that the bath is a general and even generalizing concept. In practice, washing facilities are different. The differences between different types of baths are significant - in temperature conditions, in the degree of air humidity, in the contrast between the climate of steam rooms and washing rooms.
It is important for the expectant mother at any time to breathe humid air, not hot, and exposure to high temperatures is generally undesirable. In light of this, in the absence of contraindications for a pregnant woman, it is allowed to visit the hammam (Turkish bath), but in almost all cases, visiting the Finnish bath (sauna) is contraindicated.
A Russian bath is acceptable, but with significant restrictions. A public bath is not the best option, because it does not ask a doctor for a certificate, and the expectant mother can become infected with very unpleasant diseases, for example, scabies or head lice.
If a woman is healthy, doctors have not diagnosed her with pathologies of pregnancy and fetal development, if she herself does not have chronic ailments, the bath will only help her. This effect helps to improve blood circulation, trains the respiratory system, has a beneficial effect on the condition of the skin, expanding the pores.
Bath procedures are an excellent means of hardening the body, respectively, it can be an effective prevention of acute respiratory viral infections, influenza, colds, which are dangerous for women in an "interesting position".
A visit to the bathhouse helps to relax, tidy up the nervous system, improve sleep and well-being, mood.
But, like everything useful, but popular, bath procedures during pregnancy need to be agreed with the attending physician... If we neglect this requirement and do not take into account the initial state of health of the expectant mother, the consequences of a bath day can be very sad: high temperature and high humidity create an additional burden for the woman's body, which is fraught with hypertonicity of the uterus, an increase in body temperature, an increase in blood pressure, and circulatory disorders.
If there are foci of inflammation in a woman's body, a visit to a washing facility can intensify pathological processes... It can cause miscarriage, late miscarriage, premature birth. And therefore going to the bathhouse without obtaining the permission of the doctor is unreasonable, irresponsible and dangerous.
Absolute and relative contraindications
A visit to the bathhouse is strictly prohibited for pregnant women who have chronic diseases of the heart, kidneys, liver, lungs, blood vessels. The pronounced effect of bath procedures can cause an exacerbation of the disease, even if the period of remission lasted for many years. The fact is that pregnancy itself increases the risks of exacerbations due to the load on the organs and systems of the female body. The bath can act as a trigger.
Chronic ailments are an absolute contraindication; the following situations can be attributed to the same group of contraindications:
epilepsy;
oncological and precancerous conditions and neoplasms in the body of the expectant mother;
hypertension and a tendency to high blood pressure;
bronchial asthma;
phlebeurysm;
hemorrhoids in acute and chronic form;
threats of spontaneous miscarriage;
isthmic-cervical insufficiency;
full or partial placenta previa;
multiple pregnancy;
pregnancy that occurred in the IVF treatment protocol;
the first weeks of pregnancy;
last month before giving birth.
Also, it is not recommended to go to the washroom and steam room due to relative contraindications. They are called relative for a temporary nature. After the end of the state, a visit to the bath can be allowed in the absence of absolute contraindications.
These contraindications include:
any inflammatory process in the body;
early toxicosis;
signs of gestosis in the second and third trimesters;
swelling;
abnormal discharge from the genitals;
the period after any surgical operation (up to 8 weeks);
increased body temperature (above 37.5 degrees);
intestinal upset, nausea, diarrhea, constipation.
Even if the doctor allowed to go to the bathhouse, it is important for a woman to carefully listen to her well-being. If it is not too good, then it is better to refuse from visiting the bath on the chosen day.
Rules for expectant mothers
If it is allowed to visit the bathhouse, then adherence to simple but very important rules will help to avoid possible negative consequences.
Follow the conditions - the temperature in the bath room should not exceed 50 degrees Celsius... If alternation of temperatures is planned, but it should be smooth and insignificant (up to a maximum of 70 degrees Celsius). There is no need to jump from a steam room to a snowdrift or a cold pool.
Take your companion with you - it can be a spouse, mother, sister or girlfriend. Someone adult and adequate must be present with you, because your state of health at any time can change (a jump in blood pressure, the development of shortness of breath, an acute allergic skin or edematous reaction, a sharp attack of headache, abdominal pain, the development of hypertonia are reasons for you outside help was provided).
After visiting the steam room, be sure to take a cool (but not cold!) Shower or douche... It is prohibited to jump into the cold pool after the steam room. Warm or cool water will help remove excess heat.
You can take a steam bath for the entire bath day of a pregnant woman no more than 10 minutes... This time should be divided into several visits to the steam room for 2-3 minutes. Outside the steam room, a woman can wash in the bath as much as she wants, no separate restrictions are imposed on this.
You cannot lie on your back in the steam room, this can lead to compression of the inferior vena cava by the large uterus, which can cause serious consequences up to collapse.
In order not to overheat when visiting the bathhouse, use special felt bath caps on your head, sit on warm surfaces on a pre-spread clean sheet... Cover your shoulders and back with a wet sheet if necessary.
Take with you a bottle of clean, still drinking water, rosehip decoction, dried fruit compote without sugar or homemade berry fruit drink and be sure to drink to prevent dehydration during intense sweating.
Make sure you have non-slip rubber shoes with a rough sole - slippers. Falling on a slippery wet floor can have very negative consequences for both the woman and her baby.
Often women ask how often you can go to the bathhouse while waiting for a child, because many are used to doing this weekly.
During pregnancy, it is undesirable to visit the bath more than once every 10 days, that is, three times a month.
If before pregnancy a woman did not go to the bathhouse and did not take a steam bath, it is dangerous to start doing this while waiting for a child at any time. A visit to the bathhouse is allowed if the woman, even before the onset of the "interesting situation", was a regular in bathing establishments, since her body is adapted to such loads.
Features of the procedure in different trimesters
When deciding to visit the bath, the expectant mother should take into account not only her own well-being and the opinion of the attending doctor, but also the peculiarities of the gestational age at which she is.
- In the 1st trimester, bathing in the bath should be done with extreme caution.... In the first 8 weeks of pregnancy, a visit to the bath is generally contraindicated. At this time, the process of embryogenesis is going on, which is very important and responsible. The forming embryo is not yet protected by the placenta, since the placentation process is underway, and therefore any change from the outside can cause spontaneous abortion, the formation of placental defects.
- In the 2nd trimester, there are fewer dangers, and therefore a woman can visit the bathhouse if there are no contraindications... Compliance with the rules described above is mandatory. Then washing in the bath will become a pleasant and useful healing procedure.
- In the 3rd trimester, even experienced bath attendants are advised to abandon the steam room, especially in the period from 32 to 36 weeks of pregnancy, when premature birth can cause death or serious illness in a child. After 37 weeks, the fetus is fully mature, ready for an independent existence outside the mother's womb, and there are no such strict restrictions on the bath. Changes in temperature in the bath can lead to circulatory disorders in the uteroplacental system, which can cause placental abruption. Therefore, in the third trimester, a contrast shower, too hot a bath should be avoided.
After 37 weeks, you should not go to the bathhouse after the mucous plug has left, as well as in the case of leakage of amniotic fluid - water procedures can lead to the development of intrauterine infection, because the fetus after the cork is removed or the membranes are perforated, is more vulnerable to microbes, viruses and fungal flora from the outside.
After childbirth
If a woman loves bath procedures very much and is not ready to part with them for a long time, then she is interested in the question of when, after giving birth, you can wash and steam again. When breastfeeding, there are no special contraindications to this. It is only important to wait until the body recovers from the birth process.
After natural childbirth, a woman can visit a steam room in about a month. provided that she did not have postpartum complications and the postpartum discharge - lochia - completely stopped.
After a cesarean section, the break will have to be made longer, because it takes time to restore not only external, but also internal sutures. It is recommended to go to the washing room and steam room for women who have undergone an operative delivery no earlier than 3 months later, and also provided that the postpartum period proceeded without complications.
Before the first visit to the bathhouse in the postpartum period, it is advisable to visit a gynecologist to make sure that everything is in order with women's health.
Bath procedures when planning pregnancy
If a woman is just planning to conceive a child and is preparing for this event, then she can go to the bathhouse and take a steam bath, swim in the pool, wipe herself off with snow at the proper level of hardening as much as she wants. This will only benefit.
It is only important to know that high temperatures and their significant fluctuations are not too desirable in the second half of the menstrual cycle, since a woman may already be pregnant, but she simply does not know about it yet.
It is believed that a visit to a steam room or sauna can negatively affect the implantation process, which takes place about a week after conception, and the fetus may not gain a foothold due to too intense blood circulation caused by bath procedures. In the first half of the menstrual cycle (before ovulation), there are no restrictions if the woman is healthy.
Men are quite another matter. If a couple plans to conceive, then it is the representatives of the stronger sex that should be abandoned at the planning stage at the planning stage.... High temperatures reduce the production of viable and healthy sperm and lead to the death of germ cells. Bath procedures do not help to increase male fertility. This is important to consider, especially for couples who have been trying to conceive an heir or heiress for a long time.
