Hydrotherapy in Labor: Outcomes for Pain, Birth, and Breastfeeding (HYDROTHERAPY)

Selcuk University

Status: Completed

Conditions: Latent Phase; Pregnancy

Treatments: Other: Hydrotherapy (Warm Shower)

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT07031635

2022/1177

Details and patient eligibility

About

Warm showers are increasingly gaining attention for their positive impact on labor, yet studies on this topic in Turkey remain limited. No previous research has simultaneously evaluated the effects of warm showers on labor pain, duration, emotional state, and breastfeeding. As a simple, economical, accessible, and side-effect-free method, warm showers represent a practical and safe non-pharmacological option for pain relief and comfort during labor. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of hydrotherapy on labor pain, duration, breastfeeding, and emotional experience during childbirth.

Full description

Childbirth is an unforgettable and unique experience for women. However, labor can sometimes be painful, challenging, and anxiety-inducing. Severe labor pain can negatively affect a woman's sense of control during labor, causing stress that may impact the health of the mother, fetus, and newborn. Traumatic birth experiences may hinder maternal-infant bonding and breastfeeding. Factors such as delivery method, medical interventions, pain, and fatigue can delay the initiation of breastfeeding and complicate the mother's adjustment to her new role. In supportive, intervention-free birth environments, the need for analgesia and oxytocin is reduced, episiotomy rates are lower, maternal emotional experiences improve, and breastfeeding is initiated earlier.

In this context, non-pharmacological methods such as warm showers offer significant advantages during labor. Being easily accessible, economical, and free of side effects, warm showers help relax muscles, improve circulation, reduce labor pain, and support a more positive maternal approach to the birth process. They ease fear and stress, promote comfort, and increase birth satisfaction. Studies indicate that pregnant women find warm showers soothing and often prefer them over analgesics. However, studies in Turkey on this subject are limited, and comprehensive research evaluating the combined effects of warm showers on labor pain, duration, emotional state, and breastfeeding is lacking. Therefore, this study was conducted to assess the effects of hydrotherapy during labor on these outcomes.

Enrollment: 100 patients

Sex: Female

Ages: 18 to 49 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Primiparous women who were expected to give birth vaginally
• Women who became pregnant spontaneously
• Women who were in the latent phase of labor upon admission
• Women who were not given oxytocin
• Women who were at term (38-42 weeks of gestation)
• Women who had a single healthy fetus in the vertex position
• Women who did not have any risk factors (such as preeclampsia, eclampsia, placenta previa, or placental abruption).

Exclusion criteria

• Pregnant women with any complications that could cause dystocia during labor (such as contraction abnormalities birth objects, birth canal dystocia, maternal psychological dystocia)
• Who are unable to move
• Who cannot speak, read, or understand Turkish
• Who have communication problems.

Trial design

Primary purpose: Supportive Care

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Double Blind

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100 participants in 2 patient groups

HYDROTHERAPY Group

Experimental group

Description:

Pregnant women who met the inclusion criteria and agreed to participate in the intervention group received a warm shower once cervical dilation reached 5 cm. Based on their preference, participants either stood or sat during the 30-minute shower. After random assignment, the participants in the intervention group completed the "Informed Consent Form," "Personal Information Form," and the "Visual Analog Scale (VAS)" upon admission to the delivery room. During the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th stages of labor, the "Labor Monitoring Form" was used, and the VAS was repeated immediately after the intervention, and again at 30 and 60 minutes. Breastfeeding status was assessed using the LATCH scale within the first two hours after birth, and emotional responses to birth were evaluated using the Labor Affect Scale.

Treatment:

Other: Hydrotherapy (Warm Shower)

Control group

No Intervention group

Description:

In the control group, routine hospital procedures were followed, including admission, history-taking, informed consent, recording of vital signs, and connecting the mother to the non-stress test (NST) monitor. No additional intervention was administered. After random assignment, control group participants also completed the "Informed Consent Form," "Personal Information Form," and "Visual Analog Scale" at admission. The "Labor and Postpartum Monitoring Form" was used during the 1st through 4th stages of labor, and the VAS was repeated at 30 and 60 minutes after entering the active phase. Within the first two hours postpartum, breastfeeding was evaluated using the LATCH scale, and emotional responses to birth were assessed using the Labor Affect Scale.