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Tips Pregnant Women Need to Know for the Shower
10 Beauty Ingredients to Avoid During Pregnancy
6 Insider Tips to Make Your Labor Easier
Pregnancy can be exhausting for many mothers-to-be, especially because of the extra weight they have to carry around, along with swollen feet and morning sickness. It is only natural for surrogate mothers to want to hop into the hot tub and have a long, steamy bath. However, know that pregnant women should avoid that lovely, steamy, hot shower because it can cause dizziness for the mom and increase the risk of birth defects for the baby, such as neural tube defects, especially in the first trimester.
For moms who need to relax after a hectic day, try a dip in a cool pool instead of a hot bath or a sauna. If you are feeling bone or joint pain, it’s a terrific idea to take the pressure off by doing yoga, which not only releases endorphins but also helps maintain your fitness and flexibility.
For pregnant women, showers can be tricky for other reasons as well. For one, hormones may lead to unpleasant smells in the arm pits and the feet, which is why there are extra steps to take in the shower when you are expecting. Here are some tips for when you shower during pregnancy:
1. Special Care for Stretch Marks
Most mothers agree that stretch marks are a pain to get rid of, which is why we recommend using moisturizing shower products during pregnancy to at least make the marks lighter. If you are feeling itchy or dry, feel free to use body creams or lotions to keep the skin tight and hydrated.
2. Keep the temperature down
As mentioned earlier, it is best to keep your bath water warm, rather than hot, in order to avoid elevating your body temperature above 102 degrees Fahrenheit (or 38.9 Celsius). Apart from common dizziness, a mother may face the risk of hyperthermia, too, when using a hot tub.
3. Put down a rubber mat
When a surrogate mother’s belly gets bigger and more fragile, her limbs are also loosened due to the hormones. You need to keep yourself from slipping or falling during this time, so it is vital to place a rubber mat in the tub or the bottom of the shower.
4. Clear the sinuses
Loosen up your mucus when you’re in the shower, as women tend to suffer from stuffed noses during pregnancy. Therefore, shower is a better place to clear the sinuses than using a neti pot.
5. Massage your back
Almost every surrogate mother will experience the side effects of backaches during pregnancy, because the mom’s center of gravity is shifting. While it’s certainly hard to massage your own back, husbands can deliver a rub to the moms-to-be, or use the power of the warm water from the shower head.
6. Foot fetish
Once again, your feet can be extra smelly and sweaty during pregnancy due to the extra weight of your belly, hence, the need to wash your feet carefully and completely.
7. Skip the shampoo
Thanks to your hormones, your hair is likely to be fuller and thicker than usual, which means it gets drier, too, so it is not necessary to use shampoo every day. For surrogate mothers who are sensitive to scents, though, you might want to switch your shampoo to the fragrance-free kind.
