Showering During Labor

The Effect of Showering During Labor on Perceived Labor Pain, Parenting Behavior and Birth Memory

The research covers the birth memory evaluation to determine the pregnancy process, the labor process and the changes in the perceived pain level during this process, the parenting behavior immediately after the birth and the process of the birth.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Labor Pain; Parenting; Childbirth Problems
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: warm shower

Detailed Description

The Effect of Showering During Labor on Perceived Birth Pain, Parenting Behavior and Birth Memory Labor is a natural process in which the fetus and its appendages, which are the product of pregnancy, are expelled from the uterus approximately 40 weeks after the last menstrual bleeding. Birth is a very meaningful and unique experience for the pregnant woman and her family. Although it results in a positive experience, they are faced with serious pain, discomfort and sensory situations that will force them in this process. This pain is a severe acute pain and differs from other types of pain due to the fact that it is a part of a natural process, experienced in a limited time and mother-infant relationship. In the literature, labor pain can be relieved by two methods: pharmacological (drugs) and non-pharmacological (non-drug methods). In the guide published by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2018, non-pharmacological methods are recommended to be used as they are more reliable and less invasive. Non-pharmacological methods are generally simple, reliable for mother-baby health, easy to use, accessible, economical and do not require special training. The application of non-pharmacological methods can be safely applied by midwives independently, as it does not require a physician's request and has minimal side effects. The midwife, who decides with the pregnant woman the non-pharmacological method to be used in the management of labor pain, can apply this method with her own autonomy and ensure that the mother has a more comfortable birth process. Non-pharmacological methods include hot/warm bath, hydrotherapy, hot-cold application, movement, positions, breathing, relaxation exercises, acupuncture, TENS, yoga, massage, aromatherapy, music, hypnosis. These practices increase the comfort of the pregnant woman during the labor process, relieve the level of pain and provide a positive birth experience and positive progress in the mother-baby interaction. One of the non-pharmacological methods used to reduce labor pain is hydrotherapy/warm application. Although there is not enough evidence about the history of Hydrotherapy/Hot treatment, it was reported that the spa waters of Hippocrates had a therapeutic effect in the fifth century. The use of water in childbirth and labor started with Igor Charkovsky in Russia in 1970, and then it was spread in Europe under the leadership of Micheal Odent. Hot application causes vasodilation in peripheral blood vessels, oxygenation of the region, nutrition, removal of waste materials, and relaxation is experienced by reducing tension in the muscles. In addition, the feeling of pain decreases. As a result, fetal well-being increases. The positive outcome of the birth process as a result of a healthy and beautiful progress also affects the understanding of mother-infant interaction and parenting behavior in the postpartum period. Postnatal parenting behavior is the behavior of the mother showing that she is interested in the newborn baby, such as taking care of the newborn in the postpartum period, asking questions about it, smiling at the newborn baby or making sounds. It can be affected by various factors, the situations experienced during labor and the past experiences of himself/herself. In a randomized controlled study conducted by Tuncay (2016), it was determined that the postpartum parenting behavior scale average score of the pregnants in the experimental group who received hydrotherapy was higher, and in other words, the pregnants in the experimental group behaved more positively towards the newborns in the postpartum period (p=0.001). Birth also affects memory. A pregnant woman who has experienced a difficult and long labor in the past is more anxious and fearful. However, past experiences do not always have this effect on women. Positive experiences with pain lead to correct behavior and positive changes. The experience experienced with the birth of each child is different and has the potential to change a woman's life in every sense. In order to protect the psychological health of the woman in the postpartum period, it is expected that her memories of the birth will be positive in her mind and that she will feel positive emotions when she remembers her birth. However, some women experience birth as a traumatic event rather than a positive and happy event. Some may describe this process as negative, while others may see it as a normal process. In the literature review, it has been determined that there are not enough studies on birth memory in Turkey. As a result, it is stated in the studies that non-pharmacological methods such as warm shower application may be effective in the positive outcome of labor, ensuring mother-infant interaction, acquiring parenting behavior and positive recall of labor in the future. For this purpose, the study was planned to evaluate the effect of warm shower applied during labor on women's pain levels, postpartum parenting behavior and birth memory.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 81
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Turkey
  • Kocaeli
    • Sakarya, Kocaeli, Turkey
      • Sakarya Training and Research Hospital

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 45 years (Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Being able to communicate verbally
• Between 18 - 45 years old,
• Being Primiparous/Nulliparous,
• Term pregnancy (38-41 weeks of pregnancy),
• Being in the latent and active phase of labor (Cervical dilation 4-5 cm and 7-8 cm)
• Having a single fetus
• Fetus in vertex presentation,
• Low risk pregnancy and no complications (EMR, Placenta Previa, HT, DM etc.),
• No obstetric risk (diabetes, pre-eclampsia, premature birth threat, etc.)
• Not having had any surgery in the spinal region,
• Volunteer to participate in the research

Exclusion Criteria:

• Not being willing to participate in the study,
• Not being open to communication and cooperation,
• Presence of hearing-sight and mental problems that would prevent the research,
• Be younger than 18 years old, over 45 years old,
• Being multiparous
• Being outside 38-41 weeks of gestation
• Being in the transitional phase of birth,
• Not planning a vaginal birth,
• Decision of cesarean delivery during labor,
• Presence of any medical or obstetric risk factors (fetal distress, prolonged labor, etc.)

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Supportive Care
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Single

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
No Intervention: Control group; Women in the control group will not be interfered with and will be followed in line with the routine follow-up protocol of the clinic.
Experimental: Experimental group; The women in this group will have a warm shower during the labor process.	Behavioral: warm shower; A warm shower will be applied for 20 minutes to the pregnant woman whose cervical dilatation reaches 4-5 cm and 7-8 cm.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Perceived pain level	When cervical dilation is 4-5 cm and 7-8 cm, perceived labor pain will be defined by the visual pain scale.	6 hours
Birth Memories and Recall Questionnaire	It will be determined how taking a shower during labor will affect the birth memory.	6 hours

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Postpartum Parenting Behavior Scale	It will be determined whether taking a shower during labor affects parenting behavior.	1 hours

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Sakarya University

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• WHO recommendations: Intrapartum care for a positive childbirth experience. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2018. Available from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK513809/
• Britton HL, Gronwaldt V, Britton JR. Maternal postpartum behaviors and mother-infant relationship during the first year of life. J Pediatr. 2001 Jun;138(6):905-9. doi: 10.1067/mpd.2001.113358.
• Callister LC. Making meaning: women's birth narratives. J Obstet Gynecol Neonatal Nurs. 2004 Jul-Aug;33(4):508-18. doi: 10.1177/0884217504266898.
• Shaw-Battista J. Systematic Review of Hydrotherapy Research: Does a Warm Bath in Labor Promote Normal Physiologic Childbirth? J Perinat Neonatal Nurs. 2017 Oct/Dec;31(4):303-316. doi: 10.1097/JPN.0000000000000260.
• Cluett ER, Burns E, Cuthbert A. Immersion in water during labour and birth. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2018 May 16;5(5):CD000111. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD000111.pub4.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): October 1, 2022
• Primary Completion (Actual): March 31, 2023
• Study Completion (Actual): July 4, 2023

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: August 31, 2022
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: September 3, 2022
• First Posted (Actual): September 7, 2022

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): July 7, 2023
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: July 5, 2023
• Last Verified: July 1, 2023

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Labor Pain; Hydrotherapy; Birth Memories; Parenting Behavior
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Pain; Neurologic Manifestations; Labor Pain
• Other Study ID Numbers: 26082022

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: YES
• IPD Plan Description: The follow-up of the study data will be provided by both researchers.
• IPD Sharing Time Frame: The data will be kept by the researchers until the study is reported. After the study is published, it will contribute to the literature.
• IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type: STUDY_PROTOCOL; SAP; ICF; ANALYTIC_CODE; CSR

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No