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Hi Amber

My husband has just scared me witless by saying that I have had far too many hot baths whilst pregnant, and likely to have caused my baby a birth defect.

Could he be correct? I thought you should avoid saunas and hot tubs but haven’t been concerned about hot baths.

Your advise is much appreciated.

By the way I have only got one week to go, so him saying this now is not going down very well with me and my nerves are pretty shot.

Hi,

You’re unlikely to have caused any harm to your baby so try not to worry. Warm baths are fine in pregnancy but you should try not to have them too hot. For a guide – as long as they are comfortably warm, don’t make you sweaty and red in the face/skin, and don’t make you feel dizzy and faint when you get out, the temperature should be fine.

Thanks Amber

I have done a little too much internet googling, and have found that any damage would be spinal or brain damage. If I did cause him any damage, would it likely show up at birth or afterwards once he starts to develop.

I cant help but worry, its all I can think about !!

Many thanks for your help

Hi,

Please try not to worry. You would have had to really increase your core body temperature for there to be any long term effects. Studies on animals suggest that overheating can mainly cause birth defects in early pregnancy. The type of birth defects that might arise affect the brain and spine, but if you have had early scans and all appeared well, it’s unlikely that any damage has been caused. The risks of overheating are greater with hot tubs and saunas than with baths so there’s probably little cause for concern.