Can women take a bath every day during the late pregnancy?

Especially in the hot summer, it is very necessary to take a bath every day, because if we don’t take a bath, our whole body will feel very uncomfortable and we can’t sleep peacefully at night. However, for pregnant women, a special group, whether they can take a bath every day in the late pregnancy is a big problem. Many medical experts unanimously stated that women in the late pregnancy should not take a bath every day, because this will have a bad effect on their physical health. Let’s take a look at the specific reasons.

For pregnant women, taking a bath in winter does not seem so convenient: they worry about catching a cold after taking a bath, they worry about the high water temperature affecting the fetus, and they worry about skin itching if they don’t take a bath... Obstetricians and gynecologists recommend that pregnant women can take a bath every other day in winter, but it is necessary to clean the vulva every day, especially pregnant women should take a shower.

Pregnant women are prone to skin itching, mainly prurigo with mild symptoms, such as winter itch, eczema, urticaria of pregnancy, polymorphic eruption of pregnancy, prurigo nodularis and pruritic folliculitis, as well as scabies caused by scabies infection, and skin itching caused by abnormal liver function. In winter, the skin tends to be dry, and the skin secretes less oil and sweat. In addition, when people wear thick woolen clothes, skin itching is more common. Therefore, taking a bath every day has become a must for pregnant women, one is to stay clean, and the other is to avoid or relieve itching.

However, it is a bit inconvenient for pregnant women to take a bath in winter. Zhao Liyue, an obstetrician and gynecologist at the Second Maternal and Child Health Hospital of the city, recently encountered many expectant mothers raising such questions when she was accepting perinatal health consultations.

Zhao Liyue said that after pregnancy, with the changes in endocrine system, metabolism increases, sweat glands and sebaceous glands secrete more vigorously, and pregnant women need to take a bath more than ordinary people. But in winter, you don't need to take a bath every day. In winter, the water temperature for pregnant women to take a bath should not be too high. Too high temperature will cause a certain degree of damage to the fetus's central nervous system. Avoid taking a bath or a tub bath to prevent water from soaking the abdomen. Secondly, pregnant women should be encouraged to shower while standing. Third, pregnant women should not take too long to bathe, especially in winter. The bathroom is more closed, with less air, higher temperature and humidity, and insufficient oxygen supply. In addition, a hot bath will cause blood vessels on the surface of the body to dilate, which will lead to insufficient blood supply to the head of pregnant women, causing dizziness, blurred vision, fatigue, etc. At the same time, it will cause fetal hypoxia and faster fetal heart rate, which will affect the development of the fetal nervous system.

To prevent itching, Zhao Liyue recommends that pregnant women avoid wearing clothes made of wool or other materials that are easy to irritate the skin; if the skin is very dry, you can apply moisturizing lotion appropriately. When it comes to bathing, avoid over-cleansing your skin, reduce the number of baths, and keep your skin dry and moisturized to relieve the discomfort caused by itchy skin.

Although the question of whether you can take a bath every day in the late pregnancy has a definite answer, the human brain is flexible and should not be too stubborn or rigid. You can make adjustments according to some actual conditions. If you cannot take a bath every day, you can take a bath every few days. This can not only ensure the hygiene of the body, but also protect your health. The best of both worlds is the best for us and it also solves our problems to a certain extent.