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Can I Have a Bath When Pregnant First Trimester

pregnant woman taking a bath

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You may have heard that taking a bath while pregnant is a no-no. The good news is that's simply not true. Baths are perfectly safe in pregnancy if you follow a few simple rules:

  • Avoid baths after your water has broken.
  • Keep your bathwater warm, not hot. 98.6 degrees F is just perfect and feels great.

If you follow these criteria, you can take a bath every day until you give birth. You could even take baths several times a day if you're dealing with pregnancy symptoms like backache.

Keep Bath Water Warm, Not Hot

Water that is above your body temperature, whether that's in a hot tub or a bath, has the possibility of causing problems with your baby—particularly in the first trimester. This is because immersing yourself in hot water could increase your body temperature, which might reduce blood flow to the baby and cause stress.

Normal body temperature is about 98.6 degrees F, so keep your baths at or below 100 degrees F.

Some mothers even use water as a relaxation and pain relief method for labor. Here the temperature is also monitored to keep it around the 100-degree mark for the safety of your baby and you.

This popular form of laboring is not as effective at reducing pain as epidural anesthesia, but many women who use the technique often find the calming component of being in water very helpful.

To measure water temperature, try using a child's bathtub thermometer (it will be helpful when you bathe your baby later, too). Allow it to float and then read how hot the water is, adjusting it as needed.

Also, note that heat can be dehydrating, so be sure to drink plenty of water before and after bathing. If your skin feels overly dry afterward, use lotion (ideally, when the skin is still damp) to lock in moisture. During the bath, if you find yourself feeling overheated, it is important to take a cold shower and drink plenty of cold fluids immediately.

Hot tubs should be avoided entirely during pregnancy due to the high temperature of the water and increased infection risk related to standing water. Even with the chlorine, hot tubs can easily become breeding grounds for germs.

Prevent Infection

While warm, soapy water is just fine, there are basic precautions you can take to reduce the (low) risk of contracting an infection from a regular bath.

  • Don't stay in the water too long; aim for 15 to 20 minutes maximum.
  • Make sure your bathtub is as clean as possible.
  • Avoid the use of most bath oils or bath bombs as the ingredients could irritate your vagina or skin. Epsom salts and oatmeal baths are usually OK.
  • Check with your doctor to confirm which types of bath products are safe for you to enjoy.
  • Avoid taking a bath after your water has broken, as germs from the bathwater could potentially enter the uterus and endanger the baby.

Step Safely

It's important to watch out for slips and falls while getting in and out of the tub, especially later in pregnancy when your balance may be unsteady.

Use non-slip bathmats both in and out of the tub and/or get help from a loved one if you feel an extra hand is needed.

A Word From Verywell

Pain relief and relaxation are two of the reasons that many women enjoy taking baths during pregnancy. You may feel your aching joints relax as the baby's weight is lifted by the buoyancy of the water. It might also just be your downtime to mentally chill and soak.

Luckily, you can safely continue this activity. Just pay attention to the temperature—and enjoy.

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Verywell Family uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

  1. Czech I, Fuchs P, Fuchs A, et al. Pharmacological and non-pharmacological methods of labour pain relief-establishment of effectiveness and comparison.Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2018;15(12):2792. doi:10.3390/ijerph15122792

  2. Duong HT, Shahrukh Hashmi S, Ramadhani T, Canfield MA, Scheuerle A, Kim Waller D; National Birth Defects Prevention Study. Maternal use of hot tub and major structural birth defects. Birth Defects Res A Clin Mol Teratol. 2011 Sep;91(9):836-41. doi:10.1002/bdra.20831 PMID:21648056

Additional Reading

  • Cluett ER, Burns E. Immersion in water in labour and birth. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2009;(2):CD000111. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD000111.pub3

  • Geissbühler V, Eberhard J. Waterbirths: a comparative study. A prospective study on more than 2,000 waterbirths. Fetal Diagn Ther. 2000;15(5):291-300. doi:10.1159/000021024

Can I Have a Bath When Pregnant First Trimester

Source: https://www.verywellfamily.com/can-i-take-a-bath-during-pregnancy-2759760