How To Use A Heating Pad During Pregnancy
Contents:
- Is it Safe to Use a Heating Pad During Pregnancy
- Use of a Heating Body Directly on the Body
- Use of Cold Pads
- Indirect Use of Heating Pads
- Heating Pads Safe During Pregnancy?
Is it Safe to Use a Heating Pad During Pregnancy
Pregnancy usually brings the joy of expectation and hopes for a bright future. Meanwhile, you can also experience some pain in your joints and muscles, especially in the lower back. The following steps will explain how to use a heating pad safely during pregnancy.
Use of a Heating Body Directly on the Body
If you do not use a heating pad when you have a fever or don’t apply it for a long time, it is considered safe to put it directly on the aching part of the body or a muscle. In some people, a heating pad can relieve pain and reduce inflammation, which can be especially helpful for sore back and knees.
- Use a heating pad for short periods. Apply a heating pad with an interval of 15 minutes. The heat is usually well preserved and 15 minutes of a heating pad use will be quite enough to warm up your muscles so they could benefit from it.
- Do not use a heating pad at high temperature. Excessive use of high temperatures can cause skin burns. Be awake while using a heating pad.
- Do not use the heating pad directly on your abdomen. Although there is no direct evidence that the electromagnetic force generated by the heating pad may cause any harm to your baby, a temperature above 39.5 degrees may entail problems in the fetal development. Therefore, do not place the heating pad directly on your belly for more than a few minutes, or abstain from doing so.
You can replace the heating pad with a bottle of hot water. Wrap it in a towel to isolate the heat and be sure to remove it when your skin becomes hot to the touch.
Use of Cold Pads
Some women find it useful to alternate hot and cold pads to reduce pain and inflammation. If you have a minor injury in the lower back, use ice or cold compresses for the first few days, then switch to a heating pad or a warm compress, and then return to a cold compress.
- Start with ice wrapped in a towel. Cold compresses are used to cool the skin before applying heating pads. Cooling your skin and muscles before using a heating pad can help you to heat them better, as you put a heating pad on the skin with a lower temperature. This is especially useful if you strained abdominal muscles or muscles in the pelvic area.
- Alternative cold/heat treatment. Alternating hot and cold compresses can relieve muscular back pain faster, and prevents skin overheating.
- Prepare a cold compress. To make your own cold compress without ice, you can use a bottle of cold water, and a tissue, soaked in cold water; a package of frozen vegetables wrapped in a towel is also suitable. They can be applied to the skin in combination with hot compresses or a heating pad.
Indirect Use of Heating Pads
If you're worried, nervous or afraid to apply a heating pad to the body during pregnancy because of the electricity, then you might consider other ways to get some use from the pad without contacting it directly.
- Use a heating pad to warm your bed. To warm the bed up turn on the electric heating pad and place it between the sheet and the blanket.
Do not forget to turn off and remove it before going to bed. Thus you will enjoy a warm heating pad without having direct contact with it. - If you have a sore back, put a heating pad under the pillows under your back when resting in a chair or in bed. To avoid fire or burns make sure to switch off the heating pad before bedtime.