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Laboring in Water Reduces Pain

Of course, many of this have seen this and intuitively it makes sense. But regarding “immersion in water to relieve pain in labor,” in the 2000 edition of A Guide to Effective Pain in Pregnancy and Birth, the Cochrane reviewers concluded “there are insufficient or inadequate quality data upon which to base a recommendation for practice.” Nine years later there is enough high quality research for Cochrane reviewers to conclude that “Immersion in water during the first stage of labor significantly reduces women’s perception of pain and use of epidural/spinal analgesia.” Good news for childbirth educators who want to present laboring in water as an evidence-based strategy in their childbirth classes.

  1. Ann Shopoff, CD

    I’m guessing physicians will discount this for some reason they come up with. Why is it that when we press for evidence-based care, they throw as many roadblocks in our way as possible? Yet they use techniques that are not evidence-based or worse, that have been shown to be harmful/of no value, with no blink of the eyes. GRRRRRR.

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