Pregnancy Myth Debunked: Are Baths Off-Limits?
Water is the source of life, and it’s also a secret weapon of weightlessness and comfort for pregnant people! Across the world and throughout history, water has been celebrated for its therapeutic benefits. Whether you’re floating in a pool or soaking in the tub, water offers comfort, connection, and relaxation—perfect for pregnancy, labor, and the postpartum journey. Let’s dive into the wonderful ways water can support you and your growing baby!
Why Water Works Wonders in Pregnancy
Feeling a little heavy lately? Water gives you a sense of weightlessness and offers relief from pregnancy discomforts. It can reduce joint pressure, ease swelling, and soothe sore muscles. Even better, babies love water too! That’s why they float around happily in the womb and why they often relax when reintroduced to water after birth.
Michel Odent, a pioneer in natural childbirth, puts it beautifully: “Many pregnant women feel a natural pull toward water. It’s like they’re reconnecting with an ancient part of being human.”
Sadly, a lot of providers tell their pregnant clients to avoid hot baths and they don't educate them fully on how to have a delicious and soothing bath safely. This makes pregnant moms afraid of taking baths or doing summersaults in the pool. We are here to break down the myths and share the benefits that water can have for moms-to-be.
Baths while Pregnant: Soothing Without Overheating
Let’s start with the classic bath. Picture yourself sinking into warm, soothing water after a long day—pure bliss! Baths help reduce back pain, lower swelling, and calm the mind. Here are some ways to make them even better and safe for pregnancy.
Temperature Tip:
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) recommends keeping your bathwater below 102°F (39°C) to avoid raising your body temperature too high, which could pose risks to your baby’s development. Use a thermometer to check or test the water with your wrist (it should feel warm, not too hot that you can't stay in comfortably).
Time Limit:
Limit baths to 15-20 minutes if the water feels warm and soothing. If it’s cool or tepid, add more hot water and relax. If you feel too hot, it's time to get out.
How to Know The Temperature is Unsafe:
If you feel like a lobster and feel the need to get out....it's too hot for pregnancy. Use your body as a gauge, if you can stay in comfortably and not feel flush, your body is not overheating.
Epsom Salts:
Safe for pregnancy, Epsom salt baths can help reduce swelling and soothe muscle cramps. Add a cup to your bathwater for a spa-like experience. Just skip bubble baths with strong fragrances, as they might irritate sensitive skin.
Bathe Together
Invite your partner to join you for a cozy soak—it’s a great time to connect and unwind together.
Hemorrhoids in Pregnancy? Take a herbal bath!
Painful hemorrhoids is a common complaint and symptom of pregnancy. There is so much vascular change and pressure with growing a baby, which can lead to pesky hemorrhoids! A herbal bath is one of the best natural remedies you can do to help reduce hemorrhoids in pregnancy.
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Swimming: Safe Exercise for All Trimesters
Swimming is one of the safest and most beneficial exercises during pregnancy. It’s easy on your joints, helps your baby get into an optimal position for birth, and keeps you cool while giving you a great cardio workout. Plus, being in water feels like a mini vacation when your body is working overtime!
When to Swim: Swimming is safe at every stage of pregnancy, as long as your healthcare provider hasn’t advised against it. Always listen to your body and take breaks if needed.
Swimming in pregnancy can be a great way to get your baby in the optimal position for birth. If your baby is breach you might even try handstands in the pool to help turn them!
Chlorinated Pools: Chlorinated water is generally safe in pregnancy, but showering before and after your swim can help keep your skin from drying out and washing off unnecessary chemicals.
**Natural Bodies of Water **: Skip bodies of water that could be contaminated, like lakes or hot springs. Research your local lakes and rivers to know if algae is present.
Are Hot Tubs Safe in Pregnancy?
Soaking in a spacious hot tub can be a great opportunity to relax with a partner or friends. Since hot tubs are commonly 104°F (40°C), it may be wise to ask your physician, and soak for limited time.
That being said, not all hot tubs are dangerous for pregnancy if you can control the temperature. It's all about getting overheated, so be mindful of temperature and your body's signals of feeling too hot. If the hot tub is heated for lobsters, then it's safest for your baby just to soak your feet on the edge and chat with your friends!
Benefits of Using Water During Labor
In our modern culture, there has been a renewed discovery of our ancestral affinity to water during birth. The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists notes that women who relax in a warm tub or shallow pool during early labor tend to use less epidural analgesia than those who do not, and women who immerse in water while laboring tend to have a shorter length of labor.
Although water doesn’t eliminate pain, it helps change the perception of pain and allows people to connect with their inner rhythms during labor. Birthing in the water also provides advantages for the baby who may experience a gentle transition as they uncurl from the confined space of the womb into the unboundedness of water.
Bathe With Your Baby for Their First Bath
After birth, an infant can be reintroduced to water any time after the umbilical wound has healed. A daily home bath in a full-size tub (rather than a baby tub) is recommended because it allows greater freedom of movement and the feeling of being in the womb. A parent and child may increase their connection by bathing together.
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The parent can soak with their baby on their chest or belly. They can use their hands to support their baby, who may be reminded of the womb while floating in this cozy and warm environment. It may take some practice, but babies soon enjoy being floated and feeling the connection and the very needed freedom of movement.
Try Aqua Yoga
Francoise Barbira Freedman developed Aqua Yoga for pregnancy by adapting classic yoga postures to the water. Aqua Yoga’s poses, movements, and swimming techniques may help the pelvis to open during pregnancy. This practice also fosters a breathing awareness, eases aches and pains, and supports connection with the growing baby—all of which aids in birth preparation.
Aqua Yoga can amplify the sense of groundedness people often experience while practicing yoga out of the water. You can practice this state of mindful movement in the water with the added benefits for you and your baby.
After birth, Aqua Yoga exercises can help realign and “close” the body from its opening. Water is uniquely healing for the perineum and a good medium in which to tone the pelvic floor muscles and strengthen the back muscles. Breathing remains an essential aspect of postnatal Aqua Yoga.
What is WATSU®?
Watsu® (WaterShiatsu) is a complementary therapeutic massage treatment administered in warm water at about 96°F (36°C). Based in Shiatsu massage, this bodywork technique includes acupressure, assisted stretching, and joint manipulation.
A trained practitioner gently and safely floats the receiver, massaging and moving them rhythmically. The sense of weightlessness in warm water helps to decompress the spine, loosen joints, and relax the nervous and musculo-skeletal systems.
Watsu® is an ideal wellness practice during pregnancy because it allows safe stretching and lengthening, which can ultimately improve comfort and confidence during labor and postpartum recovery. A 2015 Swiss study investigating the use of Watsu during pregnancy demonstrated the safety and significant positive effects of this treatment.
Participants experienced less pregnancy-related back pain, greater relaxation of uterine muscles, improved overall sense of well-being, and a deepened relationship with their unborn child.
During the postpartum recovery, Watsu® can be equally beneficial to support the many adjustments to parenthood. Watsu® fosters relaxation, stress reduction, pain relief, hormone regulation, reduced swelling, better sleep, and improved breastfeeding. Watsu® can help restore and rebalance the body, support integration, and assist with healing following birth.
Watsu® offers an exceptionally comforting and safe environment for infants to move freely and to relax deeply. aqua Watsu® supports the emotional needs of the developing child, treats common ailments by strengthening the immune system, and stimulates balanced and healthy growth.
Get your Swim & Bath on In Pregnancy!
The therapeutic use of water during the childbearing year has been on the rise over the past few decades for healing body, mind, and spirit. From soaking, to receiving aquatic bodywork for pain relief and relaxation, to swimming, to giving birth, to doing Aqua Yoga to prepare for and recover from birth, parents and infants can benefit greatly from spending as much time as they can in the water.
“In water, the body finds the freedom the soul has lost.” - Ancient Egyptian proverb
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sherilee Peters, owner and creator of Baby Nest Birth Boutique. For over 18 years she has been passionate about bringing comfort and healing to moms with natural remedies (a wanna be witch doctor). She is a mother of two, creator of Birth Dates (a self-paced birth class for couples) Birth & Postpartum Doula, educator and certified placenta specialist in the Vancouver, WA and Portland, OR areas.
