4 Reasons Why Pregnant Women Shouldn’t Take A Steam Shower and Alternatives

One of the truest gifts that life can give any girl is when they are blessed to have a child and bring them to this world. But pregnancies aren’t exactly a walk in the park. There will be mornings when you don’t want to get off your bed but you have to. The pains and aches can be just too many to count. But all of these will fade instantly once the baby comes out.

Still having a comfortable and relaxing day cannot hurt. Pregnant women need to avoid being stressed because this will affect the baby in the womb, no matter how far off the pregnancy is already. There are soon-to-be moms that choose to stay at home and keep themselves occupied. While there are others who go out to get pampered. One way to get this done is through steam baths.

While there are medical claims that steam baths aren’t a danger for pregnant women as long you don’t stay for longer than fifteen minutes, for a pregnant woman and her unborn baby, steam baths can be fatal.

Steam baths like an ariel steam shower unit promise a holistic experience of well-being, but if you are pregnant it is best to wait until after your baby is born to take a steam bath.

Here are four reasons why pregnant women shouldn’t go to on steam baths just so they can relax and unwind.

1 Steam rooms can cause birth defects

Our body has a core temperature limit. If the hot air steam goes above the 102.2° F mark, this will spell disaster for both the mother and the baby. If you are in your first trimester, you can get maternal fever which will increase the risk of neural tube defects (NTD). This is a birth defect of the brain, spine or spinal cord of the baby since this is the phase called fetal development. This is the where you start to see the features of you baby like the ears, nose and mouth. Going to a steam bath will greatly affect that.

 The Alternative:

FOCUS ON THE BABY.

Talk to her/him. Just hearing your voice will do magic for the baby and you will know and feel this—painful as it may be, it’s her own way of saying “you got this mom.”  That alone will keep you relaxed for the rest of the day.

2 A steam shower can burn your skin

While it is a fact that fifteen minutes in a steam shower is all the time that is needed for you to flush out dead skin off your body, this may not be very helpful for pregnant women. Breakouts and acne problems you had back when you were just a teenager can resurface and haunt the better parts of your day. This is the reason why some soon-to-be mothers go to steam rooms to get their pores cleaned up.

First of all, all the pores in our skin are already open. This is why we get skin conditions in the first place, add in some raging hormones and it’s a done deal for your skin care routine. For the record, STEAM EXPANDS THE PORES. This is how unwanted elements are flushed out of the skin. Going for a quick shower not only will cause more problems for pregnant women, but since their sensitivity is on another level, the possibility of getting burned is very likely

The Alternative:

START EATING WELL, START EATING SMART. If you keep eating junk then you should already know what you’ll get back in return. Eating healthy and right gives you and your baby a better chance on wellness and physical fitness. Breakouts and dryness of skin is natural for any pregnancy. This only means your body is giving all the good nutrients to your child.

3 You can get dehydrated

Detoxification is indeed well and good. Every stressed person needs to get one from time to time. However, for pregnant women, this will come at a cost. Keep in mind that there is a living being inside your tummy who depends on you to keep her safe until she gets out. That fifteen minutes in the steam shower will dehydrate both you and your baby. Both you and your baby in turn will get a faster heart rate. A fast heart rate is one of the many things you must avoid when pregnant.

The Alternative:

Exercise for 30 minutes. Obstetricians and Gynecologists give this a go because one, you need to stay fit and two, as you sweat, toxins are flushed out. But don’t overdo it and make sure you have a qualified trainer to guide you.

4 It can strain your body

If you weren’t pregnant, that short time in the steam shower is like a couple of hours in the gym just to get a good sweaty workout. This is why steam rooms are considered physical wellness with less effort. But for a pregnant woman to sit inside a steam shower for even a short while will take a toll on her body. First of all the immune system isn’t exactly at 100% for the mom during pregnancy. All of that is redirected to the baby inside the womb. You’ll probably get more body pains and muscle aches from all that steam.

The Alternative:

Go for a pregnancy massage at a massage therapist that is experienced and qualified in pregnancy massage.

This is a phenomenal way to get de-stressed and massage has lots of health benefits. Match it up with relaxing music and your body will instantly feel rejuvenated.

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Melissa is an author and a blogger at Seek Home Comfort. Her writing and research interests include various home DIY topics such as home improvements/interior and health/fitness. She is also doing her PhD thesis on the topic of smart homes.

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