Do you want to hot tub with your baby-to-be?

June 2, 2017 – Yippee! The stork is circling your house. Get ready for the happiest, scariest, most eagerly anticipated time of your life.

When folks stop making babies, we’ll probably stop getting questions about hot tubbing while pregnant. Until then…If you’re an avid soaker, trying to fit your pregnancy into the equation can be perplexing. Can I? Should I? If I can, when should I?

Your beacon will always, always be your own body. As your baby grows, your body changes and adapts. You will know what feels right and what doesn’t. That said, we thought you’d appreciate a few recommendations to help you choose the safe path when hot tub soaking while pregnant.

• “Jonesing” for a soak? It’s best to wait until you get past your first trimester.
• Check with your doctor first. Your doctor knows you and your health history, and can offer guidance on hot tub use during your pregnancy.
• Take it easy. If you’re going to soak, keep it to 10 minutes. This is what many health professionals are suggesting online.
• Lower the temperature of your hot tub. It’s not advisable to raise your core body temperature to 102 degrees or more when you’re pregnant. If you set your tub to 99 degrees it’s just a fraction beyond average body temperature. Lower the temperature even further (to 98 degrees) if you tend to run hot.
• Double check the temperature. Use a thermometer to confirm the temperature is correct before you soak.
• Figure out where the heat return is in your hot tub. (It’s the floor drain In a Hot Spring Spa.) Make sure your stay clear of it when you soak.
• Water, water, everywhere. Remember to keep hydrating while you soak.
• Keep yourself from overheating by periodically sitting on the cool down seat in your tub. Another place to sit is the edge of your hot tub’s bar top. Make sure you choose a corner where there’s good support. Regardless of where you decide to perch, it’s essential that you get your torso out of the water every once in a while so you don’t overheat.

We can’t say it enough. So here goes. Listen to your body! If you feel woozy, you’re sweating profusely, or your skin gets clammy…you hot tub session is over!

Remember to double check with your obstetrician before you soak while pregnant. That’s where you’ll get your best professional advice.

Oh…and don’t forget to hop back into the hot tub after you’ve had your baby, ‘cause baby, you have to remember to take care of you!  You’re a new mom now…and you’ll need it.

Congratulations! Have a healthy and blissful pregnancy!