One woman I met was sitting in a hotel hot tub and casually talking about her brand new pregnancy to a grandmotherly lady across the way when the grandmotherly lady, upon hearing that the woman was pregnant, proceeded to force her out of the tub with cries of ‘You’re hard boiling your baby!’
Sure, it sounds a little ridiculous, the thought of your tiny little fetus suddenly congealing into a picnic snack. Gack! But is there some truth to that? What is the danger?
Any activity that raises your core body temperature to 102.2 degrees or more can have terrible consequences for your fetus. Whether from fever or from sitting outdoors in the sun, especially in the first trimester when his little body is developing. Research suggests that fetus’ exposed to abnormal temperatures are at risk of disrupted development of the brain and spine. Elongated time in high-temperature environments could result in some of the following;
- Spina Bifida, (occurs when the spinal column doesn’t close all the way.)
- Damage to the central nervous system.
- Eye problems such as cataract.
- Abnormal smallness of the brain, (called Micrencephaly.)
- Cleft palate
- Heart defect
- Mental retardation, autism, cerebral palsy, schizophrenia, etc…
All it takes to become hyperthermic (too hot) is 10 minutes in a hot tub or sauna, just 10 minutes! So what can you do to make sure you keep your hot-tubbing lifestyle from getting out of control?
- Always, always, consult your doctor’s advice.
- Lower your hot tub temperature gauge to no hotter than 97-100 degrees.
- If you cannot adjust the setting of a hot tub, take a warm bubble bath instead.
- Avoid every-day use of the hot tub, once a week for no longer than 10 minutes should be sufficient.
- Avoid submersion if you can by sitting safely on the edge of the tub and soaking your feet to the knee.
- Recognize your internal warnings, if you are uncomfortable or dizzy, leave the hot tub area for someplace cooler.
- And, again… always, always, consult your doctor’s advice!