Can I really take a bath during confinement?

We all know that giving birth to a child will cause great harm to a woman's body. Often, many women will regulate their bodies by sitting in confinement. However, there are some incorrect ideas in the traditional Chinese confinement custom. Many elderly people believe that women's bodies will easily develop rheumatism if they are exposed to water during confinement. In fact, this is unhygienic and can easily lead to bacterial growth in the body. Let's find out together, can you really take a bath during confinement?

Can I really take a bath during confinement?

Timely cleaning of the body after delivery has the effect of activating blood circulation and promoting qi circulation, which can help the mother 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 dilates blood vessels in the skin all over the body, 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 (oral fungal infection) in babies of mothers who take a bath promptly after delivery is lower.

Things to note when taking a bath during confinement

It is best to take a shower (with the help of family members), but not 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.

The above is an introduction to the question of whether it is really possible to take a bath during the confinement period. After understanding it, we know that women can take a bath during the confinement period, and only by taking a bath on time can we ensure good personal hygiene and make the body more relaxed. In addition, during the confinement period, you must pay attention to the balance of diet and nutrition, do not eat too greasy food, and pay attention to a light diet.