facial anomalies such as micrognathia (small jaw), external ear anomalies, microphthalmia, (small eye development) and midface hypoplasia (underdevelopment of the middle of the face).

Among the anomalies described are:

• Limb defects
• Cardiac defects
• Miscarriage

How accurate are the studies that were done to show the association between hot tubs and congenital anomalies?

One study in 1979 (Uhari, British Med Journal) examined the effects of saunas on pregnant Finnish women and found no association with congenital defects in infants. This may be attributed to the lower temperatures used by Finnish women and shorter times spent (6 to 12 minutes) in the sauna compared to American women.

Women with exposure to hot tub, sauna, or fever early in pregnancy were found to be 2.2 times more likely to have a fetus with a neural tube defect compared to women without this exposure. Hot tub exposure appeared to have the strongest effect compared to all the other ways elevated temperature can occur.

Why would hot tub use be more likely to cause anomalies when compared to saunas or maternal fever?

What are considered the critical temperatures for a pregnant woman to be concerned about?

Prolonged elevation of a woman’s body temperature to 38.9 degrees C (102 degrees F) was determined to be the critical level that can cause anomalies. The critical time frame for a woman’s body to reach this temperature was 15 minutes in a 39 degree C (102.2 degree F) tub or 10 minutes in a 41.1 degree C (106 degree F) tub.

It was found that prolonged high temperatures or multiple temperature spikes at lower temperature elevations had worse effects than a single temperature spike.

Although there is some controversy regarding some of the studies, exposure of pregnant women to heat in the first trimester via a hot tub, sauna, or fever is associated with an increased risk of neural tube defects. It is highly recommended that obstetricians, health clubs, private stores selling equipment, and other facilities with hot tubs and saunas warn pregnant women of these risks to the fetus when pregnant women are exposed to elevated temperatures for prolonged periods of time. Beaute de Maman recognizes the importance of safe products for pregnancy.

Why Can’t I Take a Hot Bath During Pregnancy?

Taking a bath during pregnancy causes thrush: This rumour stems from the advice that you should not use heavily fragranced bathing products during pregnancy, as the risk of thrush is higher. Taking a bath during pregnancy will not cause thrush if you use a pregnancy friendly bathing product or opt for essential oils (*note* only use essential oils after your first trimester)

A hot bath will ‘cook’ your baby: Although hot baths are not recommended during pregnancy, they do not ‘cook’ your baby. So if you have taken a hot bath before knowing you were pregnant, don’t worry.

Hot baths will induce labour: This rumour most likely stems from study’s suggesting that hot baths increase the risk of miscarriage.

It is okay to take a hot bath because studies only cover saunas and hot tubs: This is a very dangerous myth. A hot bath does have the potential to raise your core body temperature in the same way that a sauna or hot tub would. So as long as your bath is warm and not hot, you are safe to continue bathing during your pregnancy.

One of the big design elements in the bathroom is the hardware. The more expensive tiles
should have durability, aesthetic value, and a non-porous surface. When choosing tile, think out of the box. Don’t be afraid to use your own ideas and put what you want into the room when redecorating your master bathroom.

Create a Stunning Master Bathroom

If you are planning to remodel your master bathroom, make a thorough inventory of your bathroom’s layout and decor. From there you can determine your budget, whether you need to add more space, relocate a wall or small addition, and what items to replace, tub, shower, vanity, countertops, ect. Your master bathroom could be starved for natural light as well. If you have decided to renovate your entire master bathroom, then your shower is a good beginning.

Enhance your master shower by adding some custom features like dual temperature controls, body sprays, a rain dome or a steamer can turn your master shower into your own private spa. Consider incorporating some convenient features in your shower, like installing a bench, built-in shampoo niches and tiling the ceiling to giving your shower a finished, custom look. When selecting a new decor for your master bathroom, tile selections for your bathroom floor can be your biggest challenge.

Give your master bathroom a little pizzazz by adding small polished stones, mosaic or glass tile as an accent. A tile wainscot is also becoming very popular with many homeowners, incorporating your floor designs onto to your walls and carrying that pattern throughout your shower walls, tub surround & deck.

Be sure to finalize your tile design by arranging your patterns, including your grout color and width, on the bathroom floor and shower area. A new tub style may also allow you to redesign your tub deck, creating a more spacious feel in your master bathroom.

Your vanity and countertop is also a very important feature of your master bathroom. If your counter space permits, tall & slender glass front cologne cabinets on top of the counter will create a marvelous custom look.

Tips for a Great Master Bathroom

Creating your master bathroom plan can be exciting. First, pick a theme or overall feel you plan to use for your master bathroom plan.

Universal Design. How can universal design help in the bathroom? Universal design principles aim to make your life easier and safer.

Waterfalls. People love waterfalls, they love, the look, the sound and the lighting. Waterfalls in bathrooms can be very soothing and relaxing.

Flooring. By far the most common material for bathroom floors is tile. Along with tile there are many other bathroom flooring options available to choose from, such as stone, vinyl plank flooring, waterproof laminate or even bamboo.

Showers and Soaking Tubs. In the master bathroom you’ll probably want a separate shower and tub as well as plenty of storage. Try increasing the natural light into your master bathroom with a sun-tube or skylight. Other features to increase the comfort in your master bathroom range from a mini refrigerator to LCD TV’s.

But bear in mind that owning a hot tub does come with its own share of responsibilities. Good thing it’s not that difficult, provided you have the right hot tub supplies that can take care of all the dirty work for you.

The first time I encountered a hot tub was when I was house-hunting with my wife. Once I set my foot in that rumbling, jet infused bubble bath, I knew I was hooked.

I totally fell in love with that thing. I promptly went out and bought some much-needed hot tub supplies. After speaking with the professional inside, I think I learned everything I needed to know about maintaing and cleaning a hot tub right there and then.

Improve Your Home and Life with a Hot Tub

Hot tubs are versatile, good for sore muscles, a great social gathering place, and a way to make your home the social hub for you and your friends.

Adding a hot tub to your home can be a little daunting if you don’t know what you are doing going in. The range of hot tub prices can vary greatly. Part of determining your budget is determining what size of a hot tub you want as well. Most people opt to have their hot tubs outside.

If, however, you want to have shelter over yours, there are gazebos that most hot tub dealers sell. They can be constructed around your installed hot tub so that there is shelter over it. Finally once your hot tub is installed you can begin enjoying it. Hot tubs are a great center for parties. No matter what your lifestyle, your hot tub will be able to enhance it.

Should You Put in a Hot Tub?

Putting a tub in your bathroom is really up to you. Among the advantages of having a hot tub is that it relaxes you. A bathtub also offers health benefits. First, soaking in a tub will help relieve stress.

Deciding to install a tub:

Get the dimensions of your bathroom first. There are circular tubs. Check if any of them fits your bathroom.

Choosing the right tub:

What type of tub are you going to buy? Is it going to be an indoor or an outdoor tub? See to it that someone is available in your area in case your tub needs repairs.

You should also allocate budget for your tub. Base on your budget, check the different styles available. If it suits your current design, then you will not need to spend on redecorating your bathroom.

Check the label for the requirements needed. Hot tubs are great additions in the bathroom. Make sure that you have the right measurements to get the right size of the hot tub.

Bathroom Shower Remodeling

In any bathroom remodeling, the task most often starts with the shower or bathtub. Bathroom shower remodeling requires a lot of planning, following a budget, and keeping in mind the available bathroom space.

If remodeling your bathroom shower, choose a place where plumbing already exists, as the cost can go up if you are relocating the shower. Bathroom shower accessories such as shower curtains and screen seals are also provided by dealers.

A bathroom design expert can assist you in bathroom shower redesigning. Bathroom shower remodeling, a major step in bathroom remodeling, can increase the resale value of your home.

Bathroom Shower Remodeling and Wooden Bath Tubs

When considering a bathroom remodeling, think about the largest item in the bathroom to change out, the bathtub. Have you thought about wooden bath tubs or other designs that may work for you? You can update the look of your bathroom quickly and easily with these options. Remodeling a bathroom shower tub is something to do and there are many design tips available to help give you ideas.

Choosing A Remodel

For example, adding a new shower curtain to the bathroom, along with a new liner and curtain rod is one of the simplest ways to improve the look for the bathroom. You can get ideas for updating the look for the bathroom from magazines. You may want to consider things like changing out the towel rods, getting new window curtains and updating the fixtures in the room.

shower remodeling

A bathroom shower is the main focal point in any home bathrooms and as such you’ll always want to have it looking great. Plenty of options exist out there for your shower remodeling project and so you have to make sure that both the large and small detail things are accounted for. Some of these things that you’ll have to decide on are, shower tiles, shower knobs, curtains, and rods.

Typically, you’ll have the choice of either having a stand up shower or a bathtub with a shower head installed. Because pre-molded shower kits can sometimes look like a cookie-cutter kind of thing, some people opt to go with tiling their own shower stalls. This gives you the custom look and feel to your shower and bathroom overall. You can also you a one piece tile wall to install instead of laying down individual pieces of tile.

The shower flooring are the next major component that you should consider in the remodeling project. The shower flooring is something that only those who are using a stand alone shower stall should worry about. Many times people will want their showers to have the same flooring tiles as those found on the shower walls. Alternatively, you may want your shower tile to match the color and texture of the flooring in your bathroom.

Choosing The Perfect Shower Type For Your Bathroom Remodel

Shower Doors

The traditional bathroom shower has evolved. In addition to curtains and sliding doors, shower barriers include pivot, folding, frameless, and pivot doors. Finally, curved doors are designed for shower stalls that don’t have your average square or rectangular shape.

Shower Shapes

Speaking of shower doors, it’s impossible to choose one without understanding the shape and specificity of your shower. Pivot and bi-fold shower doors suit small spaces and accommodate square-shaped showers well.

Rectangular shower spaces have traditionally included the bathtub, but nowadays, homeowners are expanding the size of their standalone showers with rectangular spaces. A quadrant shower tucks perfectly away into the corner of your bathroom. D-shaped showers are similar to quadrant showers except they have two corners instead of one. Because of their curved sides, D-shaped showers, like quadrant showers, require curved shower doors.

Shower Building Blocks

Glass is still used with many new and traditional shower door models. Glass blocks are an alternative to standard glass. Glass blocks enclose shower units with beautiful icebergs of glass and are typically designed for the walk-in shower. Glass block enclosures accommodate small spaces with ease and grace.

There are two popular forms of pre-fabricated material for shower enclosures: acrylic and fiberglass.