4 Common Hygiene Tips To Follow During Pregnancy

Personal hygiene and cleanliness are something you should practice at all times, but especially during pregnancy. Your doctors may give you some hygiene tips to follow during pregnancy. But why is it so crucial to maintain good hygiene throughout pregnancy?

During pregnancy, if you catch any infection, it has the potential to harm your unborn child along with you. Additionally, you might be unable to take certain medications needed to improve your health or treat your infection, as those medications are not safe to use while pregnant. Therefore, the importance of hygiene doubles when you’re pregnant.

Keep reading this post to know some useful pregnancy hygiene tips to follow.

Hygiene During Pregnancy – Why Is It Important?

As an expectant mother, you must be careful about every aspect of your life, including your food, lifestyle, and sleep.

Improper hygiene may put your baby at an increased risk of developing infections (1). Right now, your developing baby is more vulnerable and weak. In certain severe cases, it may also result in severe health problems in the baby. Chronic exposure to toxins and other harmful agents during pregnancy could also lead to certain malformations in the baby.

Tips On How To Follow Hygiene During Pregnancy

Here we’ve listed down some important aspects of pregnancy hygiene that you must focus on.

1. Skin And Hair Care:

Your skin tends to be more active during the pregnancy period. In addition, the overactive oil glands tend to make your hair oilier. Here’s what you can do about your skin and hair during your pregnancy (2):

• Avoid soaking in a bathtub. Instead, use a bucket and a mug or use a shower during your pregnancy period.

• Use natural bath products such as soaps and shampoos as far as possible.
• Shampoo your hair regularly.

2. Tooth Care:

Believe it or not, but tooth care too forms an important part of your hygiene during pregnancy. In fact, during pregnancy you need to give more attention to your tooth care (3).

• Make sure you brush your teeth twice a day.

• Floss every couple of days to prevent buildup of plaque. This will also help to remove food stuck between the teeth which may cause cavities.
• Massage your gums with an anti-inflammatory agent (after the consultation of your doctor) if you suffer from swelling and sensitivity of the gums. This is commonly noted due to increased estrogen levels during pregnancy.

3. Clothing:

Before you get out for some maternity shopping, here are a few tips you may want to take note of:

• Always wear cotton undergarments that fit you snugly and change them once you get back home.

• Avoid staying in sweaty clothes for long.

• Choose fabrics that are easy to wear, soft and comfortable throughout your pregnancy period.

• Avoid wearing clothes that are too tight, especially your underclothes.

• Choose a well-fitting maternity bra with pads to absorb any possible colostrum leakage from the nipples.
• Wash all your clothes properly with quality antibacterial detergent or soap.

4. Personal Hygiene:

Personal hygiene is undoubtedly the most important factor you must pay attention to during your pregnancy (4):

• Make sure you clean yourself well after visiting the washroom.

• Have a bath every day without fail.

• Wash your hands every time you get back home, especially before you have your meals.

• Carry a sanitizer with you if you’re at work or eating out.

• Keep the pubic area clean and hair-free to prevent any genital infections that may also harm your baby.

• Use plain and unperfumed soaps to clean your private parts – this helps maintain the pH levels.

References

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