There comes a time in the life of any woman when a new life is born under her heart. Having learned from the gynecologist about pregnancy, the woman tries to radically change her lifestyle, giving up bad habits. The only thing that is sometimes difficult to refuse is a visit to the steam room. To avoid harm to a woman and her unborn child, it is important to understand whether pregnant women can go to the bathhouse. This issue can be discussed with your local gynecologist. If the doctor allows it, you can go to the steam room, but you need to act carefully.
Is it possible or not?
The bathhouse has a lot of useful qualities:
- strengthens the immune system;
- helps prevent skin diseases;
- has a positive effect on the nervous system;
- eliminates waste and toxins;
- eliminates uterine tone;
- improves blood supply to the placenta;
- helps with varicose veins;
- relieves swelling;
- steam has a positive effect on the skin and prevents the appearance of stretch marks;
- prevents embryo hypoxia;
- reduces stress and improves well-being.
Despite the positive aspects, visiting the bathhouse is not recommended for pregnant women. Before arranging procedures, you need to consult a gynecologist.
In the early stages, when the fetus is developing, a sauna is not recommended. During this period, the laying of the child’s organs occurs, and surrounding factors have an influence.
In the first trimester, a bath can cause bleeding and miscarriage.
If long before pregnancy a woman regularly went to the bathhouse, then there is no need to worry. It would only be advisable to reduce the number of visits and the length of stay, especially in the first weeks. If the woman in labor was not a regular client of saunas, then you should not start, it will be stressful for the body.
In the second trimester, bath procedures, if the recommendations are followed, have a positive effect on the woman and the fetus. This is the most favorable period.
Before giving birth, you should take a break, because a sharp change in temperature can cause rupture of the membranes, placental abruption, and premature birth.
The benefits of bath procedures
In the absence of contraindications, bathing events can be extremely useful for pregnant girls. Valuable qualities are as follows:
- Improving immune status;
- Steam exposure helps prevent the formation of stretch marks;
- Tonic effect of the respiratory and circulatory system;
- Steam has a beneficial effect on muscle tissue, relieving muscle tension;
- With regular bath procedures, mother's birth will be easy and quick;
- Excellent prevention of excess weight gain;
- Appetite improves, sleep is normalized and strengthened;
- Nervous system structures are strengthened, and toxic and waste deposits are released along with sweat secretions;
- There is a tonic effect on vascular structures, which is important for the upcoming delivery;
- The placental tissues begin to be actively supplied with blood, swelling is eliminated and cephalgic manifestations are stopped;
- Bathing activities also help prevent oxygen starvation in the baby.
The list of beneficial properties of the sauna is quite impressive and proves the undoubted benefits of steam procedures. Such events help patients bear a child, normalize their well-being and lift their spirits. The main thing is to follow the recommendations of specialists and observe moderation.
Which baths can you go to during pregnancy?
There are different types of baths: Russian, Finnish, hammam, infrared sauna. Which one can pregnant women visit?
Is it possible to go to the hammam?
In a Turkish hammam the temperature is 45-50 degrees, humidity reaches 90%. Because of this, there is practically no sweating, and all that drains from the body is condensation due to high humidity. Therefore, pregnant women can visit such a bath; one or two hours is enough, if there are no other contraindications.
Are pregnant women allowed to go to the Russian bathhouse?
The Russian bathhouse has a high temperature, on average 60-80 degrees.
Humidity about 80%. The body quickly warms up and sweating begins. It is recommended to stay for three to six minutes. It is better to make more visits for a short time than one, but long one.
Is it worth going to the sauna?
You can usually visit the sauna, but this should be discussed with your doctor.
A trip to the Finnish sauna should be avoided while you are pregnant. There is a high temperature - 120 degrees, dry air. Sweat evaporates from the skin instantly, but some remains in the air of the visit. As a result, it is inhaled back and returned to the body.
Infrared sauna during pregnancy
An infrared sauna warms up the body thanks to special infrared rays. They are harmless, but penetrate deep into the tissue. A pregnant woman should consult a doctor before going on a hike.
History of Tbilisi baths
Sulfur baths were built on special sources rich in hydrogen sulfide. Some doctors and spa therapists recommend visiting the baths in this complex as part of wellness treatments for certain diseases.
Sulfur baths have existed for a very long time and have a rich history, but modern hydropathic baths have been refurbished in a familiar manner. They have become not just a place with a constant crowd of people, as was the case before.
The city of Tbilisi got its name “warm springs” because its ancestry takes its roots from the right bank of the Kura River, where there is a cluster of healing warm springs. Sulfur-alkali wastewater flows out from under Mount Tabor, where there is a huge amount of it. At the end of the 19th century, studies of the area were carried out, and even then there were 31 sources.
The average water temperature in them reaches 37º C, due to which from ancient times they were used as a bathing place for people living nearby, who then did not even suspect the healing properties of their baths. Later, after landscaping, sulfur baths appeared in their place. The area where the hydropathic clinic is now located is considered the most amazing in modern Tbilisi. The baths are all located on the same street, near Gorgasali Square, which is popularly called Bath.
When can you go to the sauna?
Before twelve weeks of pregnancy, gynecologists do not recommend visiting any sauna.
At this time, organs are formed in the embryo, external factors have an influence, negative and positive. Especially if the woman feels unwell. The best option for visiting is the second trimester. Provided that the expectant mother is in good health and follows the rules and recommendations of the doctor.
Recommendations for visiting the sauna:
- you need to cover your head with a scarf or a special hat;
- Between trips to the steam room, be sure to drink tea or compote. This promotes rapid sweat release and cleansing of the body;
- after the steam room you need to cool down in another room, twice as long as usual;
- in the steam room you can only be on the bottom shelf;
- Rubber slippers on my feet.
Under no circumstances should you go to the sauna if:
- placenta previa;
- skin inflammations;
- urinary system infections;
- low pressure;
- general malaise;
- bleeding.
If a woman visited a sauna before pregnancy, then in the middle of pregnancy this can sometimes be allowed, based on her general condition. But you shouldn’t start without experience.
Important rules for visiting a steam room during pregnancy:
Still, consult the doctor who is observing you. It’s impossible to list all the contraindications; your doctor knows much more about you and can tell you for sure whether you can do it or not. You can write to me in the comments to this article, I will help you.
The time you visit the steam room is no more than 2 minutes .
On your way out, do not dive into cold pools , douse yourself, or take a cold shower.
All this extreme is after childbirth! Leave the steam room, come to your senses completely and cool down. And if you feel the strength, you can also come in for 2 minutes 2-3 more times, don’t rush straight to the top shelf, it’s better to take the places below
Monitor your pulse, it should not be higher than 120 beats per minute. As soon as your pulse in the steam room has reached this level and you begin to clearly hear your heartbeat, it’s time for you to leave. At the beginning, just sit so that the body cools down a little, the pulse returns to normal - 70-90 beats. Then you can go to the steam room again.
Dry head and body – enter the sauna with dry skin, a dry head and a hat to prevent overheating. Because moisture on the body will interfere with the sweating process and cause additional stress on the heart. If you take a shower, dry yourself with a towel.
Drinking regimen : after each entry into the steam room, drink clean water at room temperature. You can take with you an infusion of rose hips in water, an infusion of dried apricots in water, or fireweed tea. You should not drink too cold or too hot drinks in the sauna.
Be careful with scents : during pregnancy, you should not inhale the smell of wormwood, tansy, or thuja. You can and even need: the smell of pine, the smell of tea tree, the smell of lavender, bergamot.
Never go to the bathhouse alone . Bring reliable, non-slip rubber slippers with you to avoid slipping.
Before going outside, you need to cool thoroughly for about 1 hour. Don't forget to wear a hat, headscarf or scarf.
Is it possible to steam?
You can steam, but it is not advisable. It all depends on the general condition of the expectant mother.
Steaming is prohibited until twelve weeks of pregnancy!
Such procedures cannot be carried out in case of difficult pregnancy, varicose veins and other health problems. You need to listen to your body; if something interferes or causes even slight discomfort, then you should refuse to visit the steam room.
With the consent of the doctor, you can take a steam bath for bath procedures and if the mother in labor is feeling stable, but you must not forget about the recommendations:
- The temperature should not be higher than 70 degrees.
- The residence time is two, three minutes.
- You cannot take contrasting procedures, for example, from a steam room to an ice pool, etc. Cooling in the waiting room is acceptable.
- When drinking herbal teas, you need to carefully study the composition. Some herbs are prohibited during pregnancy.
- Be sure to be with someone else. Pregnant women are sometimes clumsy due to their shifted center of gravity.
- You need to steam in moderation, not too much.
- A first aid kit with first aid supplies should always be ready.
If a pregnant woman feels unwell while visiting the steam room, she should immediately stop the procedure, leave the bathhouse or sauna and get help.
Location of sulfur baths
Abanotubani
- a unique street concentrated in the very center of Tbilisi, the largest number of bathhouses have been formed here, which organize the quarter. The baths are located on natural sulfur springs.
Tbilisi sulfur baths, like traditional ones, have rules of conduct that also apply to ordinary public steam baths. For example, the women's and men's baths are divided into two different ones, so there is no need to disturb the peace of the “neighbors.” There is a fine for this.
Immediately after entering the sulfur bath, you notice a sharp and unpleasant smell, which you can quickly get used to.
Sulfur showers, which are rich in natural ingredients, have a miraculous effect: they heal wounds, cuts, and bites. After this kind of water procedures, damaged skin heals “before our eyes.”
After a shower, you can walk to the pool, which resembles an azure ocean with clear water.
Important! You need to maintain water balance and drink plenty of water, preferably herbal tea. Sulfur has a dehydrating effect, which will do harm rather than good if you do not maintain the water regime.
Variety of Georgian baths
- 1) Sulfur baths number 5: there is no swimming pool for women, which is surprising for visiting women.
- VIP sulfur baths. The peculiarity of this bathhouse is that there are no tourists in it and it was built for presidents, politicians and other elite.
- “The Royal Sulfur Bath” or Abano is the oldest steam bath in Tbilisi. Everything is simple here, there is no common room, but there are five separate ones. But what can you do - but in a lordly way!
The listed baths amaze with their interior decoration and external beauty: everything is carefully painted, turned and cleaned. If you want to visit the sulfur baths of Tbilisi, you just need to enter the Abanotubani quarter and choose a steam room to your liking! There is no need to worry about the hygiene of this establishment, as the recruited staff will thoroughly ensure the cleanliness of the premises.
Is it possible to take a contrast shower?
Contrast showers are contraindicated for pregnant women in the first trimester.
This can cause bleeding and even miscarriage. In the middle of the term, taking such a shower is allowed. You need to start small. The water should be warm to moderately cool. Over the course of several sessions, the temperature can be reduced by a couple of degrees, but under no circumstances should it become icy.
A huge plus of a contrast shower is that it serves as a prevention of stretch marks and cellulite, so it is better to direct the stream to problem areas: thighs, buttocks or stomach.
Main advantages:
- preparing the skin for stress;
- improves skin elasticity;
- hardening method;
- eliminate swelling;
- has a positive effect on blood vessels;
- relieves stress.
Only healthy women with a normal pregnancy can take a contrast shower.
The procedure is contraindicated for women in labor:
- During pregnancy with complications.
- Feeling unwell.
- Having unstable blood pressure.
- For uterine tone and other problems.
Closing labor in a bathhouse
What is labor closure and who needs it?
Of course, everyone needs it, but especially those who had a difficult birth (and this is half of “everyone”, according to statistics...).
And it’s simple - give yourself a resource, a sea of love for your body, thank yourself for the work of giving birth to a baby... Many people say - it’s not necessary for husbands to give rings-gifts on the occasion of childbirth, let him give me the closure of labor. This is not only an investment in the mother, but also in the baby and the husband - priceless!
Mechanically speaking, this is a procedure that takes five hours and is carried out in a bathhouse or at home. It is imperative that the woman has the opportunity to warm herself all this time.
It is carried out after 40 days after birth and... even after 20 years.
After cesarean section, it is also carried out 40 days later, unless there are special instructions from doctors.
It consists of several stages, but we can remove some of them and add others, depending on your request.
Stages of labor closure:
- We make several visits to the bathhouse. You can come in with your child for the first time, in which case we pet him too.
We bask in the comfortable temperature of 70 C, talk about childbirth, and begin to free ourselves from unnecessary feelings. As a rule, this is a feeling of guilt - if a woman had her own “plan” for natural childbirth, but everything went wrong. Feeling angry at yourself, your husband, your staff. Feeling of despair - nothing can be changed. Feelings of self-pity, etc... And we work with all this using different techniques...
The second session is an intense broom massage.
- The third session is a herbal massage, 12 different herbs are brewed, they get along with the bones, blood, psyche, hormonal levels, intestines. And we literally bathe in these herbs.
- We wash off the herbs, carefully, and at this moment the woman sits in a basin, drinks herbal infusion through the womb and complains about her childbirth. It's important to cry here.
Hormones after childbirth are eliminated through sweat and tears!
- Rest, tea.
- Finally - the most sacred procedure - 7 locks! It’s as if we are collecting a woman’s soul, closing all the energy holes in her bodies, with prayers, we are pulling her entire body along the joints and putting locks. That's it - the birth is closed.
- After rest - a general massage, put all joints, including small ones, in place, massage the abdomen, adjusting the pelvis. And then we twist it - that is, we swaddle the stomach and pelvis with a 6-meter piece of fabric.
Why do I massage after locks? Because we are finally closing the topic of childbirth with locks. Everything is unloaded, everything is cried, everything is completed. And now you can be saturated with the resource to live on in joy and happiness!
After this, the girls say that the stomach shrank (even after three births!), the pain in the sacrum disappeared, the sacrum and tailbone itself became soft, life pulsated there and flowed up the spine...
The woman collects herself completely during these five hours, recovers after childbirth and also receives recommendations from me on nutrition and further treatment of her precious body.
PS: Why is all this?
- Thank yourself for giving birth and put an end to it.
- Let go of negative emotions about childbirth.
- Cultivate a wonderful relationship with your child, understand him “in your gut.”
- Improve your relationship with your husband.
- Completely restore your female health after childbirth, reassemble your pelvis, and remove your sagging belly.
In the next article I will tell you about the sacred meaning of the closure of childbirth. Thank you for your attention, and good luck to you!
If you visited the sauna in the first weeks without knowing about pregnancy
A woman often finds out about an interesting situation in the third or fourth week, and if the pregnancy is not planned or for other reasons this period may be even longer.
The question often arises among expectant mothers: did certain activities harm the child in the first weeks of his formation? The fetus in the womb is reliably protected, but the first trimester is the most vulnerable, because organs and vital systems begin to form. One or two visits to the sauna will generally not have much effect. Again, everything is individual. A healthy, normal pregnancy is difficult to damage.
In women with weak immunity and gynecological problems, of course, any strong stress and changes can provoke a miscarriage. It is accompanied by heavy bleeding and pain in the lower abdomen.
Carefully monitor your health and menstrual cycle in order to detect pregnancy or suspicion of it in time, in order to exclude negative procedures before definitive confirmation.
Contraindications
It is contraindicated to attend paired procedures for women in the early gestational stages, so as not to provoke a miscarriage and to exclude adverse effects on the fetus during the most critical period of gestation, when the most important fetal systems and organic structures are laid and formed. You should definitely follow all medical recommendations regarding visiting the sauna, and in some cases, going to such establishments should be completely avoided. Contraindications include:
- The presence of a threat of interruption such as hypertonicity of the uterine body, bleeding and detachment of the placental organ;
- Preeclampsia or hypertension, as well as oligohydramnios;
- The presence of various fetal defects;
- Infectious pathologies in the mother;
- If a pregnant woman has a fever, it should be taken into account that the normal temperature for mothers is considered to be 37.6 degrees;
- Also, going to the sauna is contraindicated for pregnant women with heart pathologies or kidney failure.
If the patient regularly steamed before conception and tolerates high temperatures calmly, and her pregnancy is proceeding normally, then bath procedures will only be beneficial. The main thing is to exclude the presence of contraindications and any risks for the baby, then the sauna will not harm, but will help make pregnancy easier.
Hygiene rules
When placing a bathhouse or sauna, be sure to follow the rules of hygiene, even if it is your private one.
Rules:
- Use individual rubber slippers to avoid becoming infected with fungus.
- Put a special hat or light scarf on your head.
- Before going to the steam room or pool, you need to take a shower.
- You must have your own towel, preferably several.
The main thing is to follow the rules and before visiting a bath or sauna, consult a doctor and pay attention to the requirements of your own body. The most suitable time is the second trimester and the procedures should be gentle, without stress and sudden temperature changes.
Baths and saunas are a storehouse of beneficial effects, a place of rest and relaxation. But this can be dangerous for a pregnant woman and unborn child. Before such an event, talk to your doctor and make sure you are feeling stable. If you have any problems with pregnancy, health or general condition, you should postpone the trip.
What is a sulfur bath?
The sulfur bath is unique in that the body is more comfortable in it: the air is light (contains a large percentage of sulfur), water enters the complex from underground, through clay pipes. The premises of such baths already have a shower, located at the very beginning of the complex, in the middle of the hall there are marble pools, and on the sides there are massage boxes. There is a sauna. Sulfur baths are quite large, most often located at the basement level and have one window. In good weather, the walls of the baths shimmer with marble, which gives the atmosphere a certain fabulousness. But, unfortunately, most often the inside of the baths is dark. If you have a desire to visit Georgia, then Tbilisi is the best option. It is in Georgia that sulfur baths are considered a tourist attraction; tourists from all over the world go there to experience all the delights of special steam baths and heal the body.
