# Opinions re baths in 2WW



## stonefield74 (May 21, 2011)

Hi everyone

I know there are mixed opinions on this and in the nicest possible way I am really not looking for opinions(!), but wanting to know if any of you have had *actual advice * from your clinics saying not to have a bath in the 2WW? My clinic just advised me to carry on exactly as normal but no heavy lifting - so I'm curious because if baths were a statistically proven "no go" - why wouldn't we all be told no baths?

I suppose I just don't want to pick up yet another "thing" that I'm not going to do in this madenning 2WW, I'm trying to be rational and make decisions based on actual medical advice (which isn't easy!). I'm getting to the stage where if I read a thread where people were saying they're not eating carrots in the 2WW I'd go straight to the cupboard and throw all my carrots in the bin......

Thanks for any input!


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## salstewart (May 13, 2011)

Morning,
My clinic told me "Avoid Baths" but then went on to say if I did have one to make it very quick!
Needless to say I avoided the tub!
Good luck with ur 2ww x  x


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## Jen xx (Mar 14, 2011)

Avoid baths,hot water bottles,embies do not like the heat and if ur lucky enough to get a bfp then avoid swimmin as well as the baths and bottles till at least 12 wks pregnant!!cos of this I avoided baths till I was more than 20 wks!!seems silly to take the risk!!

Jenna xx


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## stonefield74 (May 21, 2011)

Thanks for your replies girls!  This is exactly what I mean though - hearing things like "embies do not like the heat" - is that an actual fact or just opinion?  If its a fact then that's fine and I would never ever do anything that would jeopardise my chances of success - I just like to know where these things come from!


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## pinkcat (Dec 3, 2008)

My clinic told me to not have baths or go swimming because they have gone through your cervix and there is a tiny chance you could pick up an infection. I don't remember being told anything about heat but it does make sense too that you shouldn't get too hot. I was also told that I should basically behave like I was already pregnant so no heavy lifting or even stretching to a high shelf and to avoid the foods pg women have to avoid.


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## stonefield74 (May 21, 2011)

Thanks pinkcat that makes a lot more sense now that I know that its because of the EC surgery - that's exactly what I was looking for, an actual reason!  So now I know I will avoid!  We don't even have a bath at home, (we have showers before you think I must smell bad.....), but I'm away tonight for work in a very swanky hotel in the Cotswolds and usually I use that as an opportunity to have a lovely bath but as I had EC less than a week ago I won't this time, damn!  Thanks a lot for your response!


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## Jen xx (Mar 14, 2011)

Its what we were told and we weren't gonna start questioning the doctors on whether their facts were accurate or not,we took their word for it and avoided it at all cost and we were lucky to get our bfp!!

I only needed to be told once,I certainly didn't think 'ohh they could be wrong'I wanted to give it the best chance so if I were u I'd take the advice ur bein given and forget whether the facts are 100% accurate and just do all to can at least then if u do get a negative u can't say 'what if'!!

Jenna xx


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## stonefield74 (May 21, 2011)

Jenna you hadn't actually said in your original posting that you were told to avoid baths by your doctors, and that was my whole point.  OF COURSE I would not ever question anything I was told by an expert but as I was not told to avoid baths that by any doctors or fertility nurses at my clinic that is exactly why I wanted others opinions on what they had been told at their clinics.  To imply that I would deliberately go against any medical advice or "risk" anything is frankly insulting.


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## Jen xx (Mar 14, 2011)

Ur original question was had anyone had advice from clinics so my first response followed on from that and I wasn't implying anything,I would hate anyone to go down this route and it not to work only for them to question themselves on what they could or shouldn't have done cos that will only add to the stress!!
it angers me that any woman has to go this route to have a baby when it should be one of the most natural things in the world but there is so many things u can question..I always think 'the women who conceive naturally,did they no to avoid baths?does every pregnant woman no that sleepin on ur back is a complete no no that it should be left side only!!I could go on!!just wonder how women who do it naturally get on when we get filled with all the jargan!!

Sorry if I cam across insulting because believe me that was not my intention!!

Jenna xx


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## stonefield74 (May 21, 2011)

Sorry for snapping, the 2WW is getting to me a bit I think!!


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## Jen xx (Mar 14, 2011)

Don't worry hun,I was exactly the same!!it is so stressful but best thing u can do is keep busy,go shoppin,meet friends etc and hopefully it'l fly by for u!!

Good luck!!

Jenna xx


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## kymjnkns (Nov 18, 2011)

i never knew to avoid baths during the 2ww untill i read this, or to sleep on my side. feel really stupid now.


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## Guest (Nov 22, 2011)

I havent got to this point yet, i am starting tx next month. But one of my close friends has recently gone through icsi and she was told by her clinic to avoid baths, sex, heavy lifting and not to do anything too streniuos

xxx


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## staceysm (Nov 18, 2010)

Hi,

Without wanting to throw a spanner in the works.  I have never got my head around the embie's don't like heat one!  How do women get pregnant in the Middle East where it is 50 Degree's all year round! Also a woman on here got pregnant with triplets in Cyprus and after sun bathing in 40 degree heat for 2 weeks!  I think it relates more to avoiding hot tub's or sauna's. 

Seriously my clinic said the same as Pinkcat. No bath's or swimming in the 2ww due to the risk of infection through the cervix.  Once my 2ww was out the way, I enjoyed my bath's and now have a lovely son.

You will read so many Do's and don'ts on the web and here and many are not scientifically proven at all.

Good luck to you and enjoy your time away.  The Cotswold's is lovely.  

Stacey
x


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## Mrs Billy (Jun 30, 2010)

Just gonna chuck my tuppence worth in here because I asked this very question yesterday. The nurse told me that they advise you to avoid baths for a few days post e/c because of the slight risk of infection, but there is no reason to avoid baths in the 2WW at all & there is no evidence to suggest that embies do not "like" the heat of bath water. Don't want throw a cat amongst the pigeons over what is obviously a very emotive subject but that's what the clinic said to me. The way I see it, if you don't want to have a bath, then that's entirely up to you but when women fall naturally, how would they know to avoid having a bath? And bearing in mind that showers have only become popular in the last 30 years or so, I'm going to go with what my clinic said & have a bath after et if I want one.      that my embies grow to day 5 first though


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## stonefield74 (May 21, 2011)

Thanks girls for all your replies - I wish there was a definitive list of do's and don'ts when it comes to all this IVF malarky!  So far this week I've read:

- eat brazil nuts every day to help implantation
- avoid nuts during 2WW
- drink pineapple juice every day to help implantation
- avoid fresh pineapple

not very helpful!  There is so much differing advice on it all, probably the same as what you should and shouldn't eat when we all get our BFP - I read a great article that said that the reason children have so many allergies these days is because there is so much conflicting advice regarding what is safe that women choose to avoid certain foods all together which in turn means babies in the womb aren't getting a balanced diet through the mother.  It surprised me to learn that the only reason any pregnant woman should avoid peanuts when pregnant is if either the mother or the father have peanut allergies.  And if not then its absolutely fine to eat them, yet somehow that has translated itself into "avoid peanuts at all costs when pregnant" - its crazy!!

But going off the subject a bit there, I just find it all a bit overwhelming!!


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## Guest (Nov 22, 2011)

Yes ive been confused by the pineapple & brazil nuts one. When should we have them and when should we avoid. If only it was all plain and simple !!  

xxx


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## Mrs Billy (Jun 30, 2010)

The fresh pineapple thing, as far as I know comes from the fact that it contains bromelain which can cause problems. In fact, apparently pineapple was used generations ago to attempt to end  unwanted pregnancies. Bromelain is destroyed in the juicing or canning process which is why juice is fine and it's full of vitamins so it's generally just good for you to have.

Brazil nuts contain selenium which in HIGH doses can cause problems to embryos, as long as you're not eating bags and bags of them every day, a handful of nuts which is considered part of a healthy diet anyway, is absolutely fine - selenium in normal doses is good for you. Brazil nuts also contain essential fats - omega 3 I think - which are good for you and a growing baby.

There is far too much quackery around when it comes to conception &  while I  really do understand the wish to do anything you possibly can to try and help your chances, of course I do, I also think there's a danger with the internet of reading too much and a lot of it is nonsense. Trouble is, anyone can put anything out there.

My advice would be to do whatever your clinic tells you. If you read conflicting advice, talk to the experts about it - mine have been wonderful, from caffeine, to baths, to Co-Q10 (which by the way, they said can't hurt & is generally good for you anyway so there's no reason not to take it but also isn't a wonder drug which guarantees good quality eggs)

I am aware that so far on my IVF journey I have been incredibly fortunate and I don't wish to upset anyone but basically unless something you've been advised to eat/drink/not eat/not drink/do/not do while during tx or beyond has the potential to harm you or your baby, I would say just eat healthily, live healthily & listen to your experts x


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## stonefield74 (May 21, 2011)

Mrs Billy I completely agree.  If the "no baths" thing is precautionary after EC then that makes sense but there is such a thing as over cautiousness with everything in life so I think we just all stick with what we're comfortable with.  I am fortuntate to be blessed as a rational thinker (and I'm not taking the p... here, I truly do think I am lucky that way) so I know that if I get a BFN next week I will not be putting it down to anything other than "one of those things".

The trouble is that we live in such a litigious, nanny state these days that if its discovered than 8000 bags of Brazil nuts eaten in one day could harm us in some way they feel the need to warn us about "high" levels of selenium, when really its just common sense.  I think the powers that be have decided none of us have any common sense anymore!

Have lovely evenings all!


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## LoubieLou73 (Nov 12, 2011)

Hi ladies,

I found the following article online about overheating during pregnancy though obviously don't know what kind of evidence this advice is based on. I wasn't aware of avoiding hot baths etc - my clinic didn't mention it - and have been using my electric blanket. Oh dear...there's always something to start getting paranoid about!!

http://kidshealth.org/parent/pregnancy_center/your_pregnancy/pregnancy_precautions.html#

(page 13)

/links


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## Mrs Billy (Jun 30, 2010)

You're not likely to sit in a very hot bath for any length of time during the 2ww or ever for that matter, that would just be nuts    It's so hard to know what's good advice and what's bad, but the way I see it, your clinic would tell you if it was that important x x


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## stonefield74 (May 21, 2011)

Hi girls, I thought of this thread last night, got to my hotel in the most beautiful village in the Cotswolds, been debating the bath thing all day. So I get shown to my room, step into my bathroom to find a HUGE double shower........ and no bath! Decision made then, ha ha!!!


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## BECKY7 (Feb 2, 2011)

I never knew to avoid bath too as I did have a bath all the way though 2 week and every day when I did get BFP but then I had MC at 13 week  so  I don't think it the bath that cause my MC  but I was told to have warm bath instead of hot bath  but know who right or wrong  like the lady say does women have bath without knowing they were pregnant etc  diffcuit really  but I think you should just get on with everyday life and do your normal thing without thinking too much  Hoe you all keep up with all your positives 
Becky7 xx


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## SamanthaB (Oct 23, 2011)

I'm sure I was told no hot baths.


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## ♥ Mighty Mini ♥ (Apr 10, 2008)

I was told to carry on as normal, which i did, which included baths. I was convinced i was not pg so decided to have a hot bath, becausee of course i wasn't pg    Hmmm a few days later i was!    

I bathed everyday during pg and had my son a week late    

Then i became pg naturally, i didn't know i was pg until I was 9 days late, so all that time i had hot baths. I have also had to lift a heavy toddler, shopping and basically carry on as normal    

I think if you relax and don;t take things to the extreme, then if its meant to work it will work.


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