Is it good to take a bath during confinement?

In ancient times, many people believed that you couldn’t take a bath during the confinement period. Taking a bath during the confinement period was not good for your health, and it might cause you to catch a cold, which would also cause you to develop a disease. This was something that the elderly people recognized very much, so mothers with elderly people at home were not prohibited from taking a bath after giving birth. However, many people would think it was unusual for a man not to take a bath for a month. So is taking a bath during the confinement period good for your health?

Can I take a bath during confinement?

Cleaning the body promptly after delivery has the effect of activating blood circulation and promoting qi circulation, which can help mothers relieve labor fatigue and maintain a comfortable mood; it can also promote blood circulation in the perineal wound and accelerate healing; keep the skin clean and avoid infection of the skin and perineal wound; deepen the mother's sleep, increase appetite, and improve her complexion. Therefore, taking a bath in time during the confinement period is very beneficial to the health of the mother. If there is no wound on the perineum, you can start bathing as soon as you recover from fatigue.

People have observed and recorded the physiological changes in the bodies of mothers who took a shower after delivery. After showering, the body temperature of two-thirds of the women rose, while that of one-third dropped slightly. However, whether the body temperature rises or falls, the fluctuation does not exceed 0.5℃ and is within the normal range. Blood pressure fluctuations are also minimal. It has no adverse effects on uterine contractions or the color, amount, odor and bleeding of daily lochia.

Compared with mothers who do not take a bath, those who take a bath after delivery have cleaner skin and a lower rate of infection in the perineum or other parts of the body. Bathing causes the blood vessels in the skin all over the body to dilate, which speeds up blood flow and promotes local blood circulation; if there are wounds, it can speed up healing. Taking a bath can also promote blood circulation and relieve fatigue during delivery. Mothers generally feel refreshed after taking a bath. After showering, 84% of the mothers had improved complexion, deeper sleep, normal bowel movements, and recovered their strength faster. Showering also has a certain promoting effect on breast secretion and can improve the quality of milk. In addition, the incidence of thrush (i.e., oral fungal infection) in babies of mothers who take a bath promptly after delivery is lower.

Can I take a bath during confinement? What should I pay attention to when taking a bath during confinement?

Things to note when taking a bath during confinement

It is best to take a shower (with the help of family members), and it is not suitable to take a bath in a tub to prevent dirty water from entering the vagina and causing infection. If the mother is weak and cannot stand to take a shower, she can take a sponge bath.

Each bath should not be too long, generally 5-10 minutes is enough.

The temperature in the bathroom should not be too high in winter, as this will easily cause a large amount of water vapor to fill the bathroom, leading to hypoxia and making the already weak mother unstable.

After washing, wipe off the water on your body as soon as possible, put on warm clothes in time before leaving the bathroom to avoid catching cold or being blown by the wind.

If the perineal wound is large or the laceration is severe, or there is a knife wound on the abdomen, you must wait for the wound to heal before taking a shower. You can do a sponge bath first.

According to the above introduction, we know that you can take a bath during the confinement period. If you don’t take a bath during the confinement period, it is very easy to get infected, especially on wounds. You should often use salt water to clean your wounds. If the wounds are infected, the consequences will be very serious. However, taking a bath does not mean you can take a bath without paying attention. We have also mentioned the relevant precautions above, and you must strictly follow them.