This Labor Pain Relief Tool Can Be Better Than a Birth Tub
Birthing tubs have received a great deal of good PR lately and for good reason. Water birth is beautiful in person and the immersive-pressure can feel fantastic to a laboring woman. Many hospitals have been adding them to their labor & delivery units too, sensitive to the value of adding a wide array of options for a diverse population of women. Many birth centers features them prominently.
These are wonderful steps forward. As a doula, though, I think that the culture around birth tubs has almost made women feel as if this is the only natural pain relief option involving water available to them. And as wonderful as tubs are, they also come with their own set of complications & inconveniences: the water needs to be a certain temperature, they can be fairly slow to fill (if you’re in labor already, the wait is agonizing!), the water cools off (maddening if you’re the mom), and it can be a bit harder to get into a good birthing position.
On the other hand, showers carry almost all the benefits (and more!) a birthing tub without the inconvenience. A shower can be started immediately and gives the birthing woman a great deal more control; being able to specifically target areas of her body with a jet of hot water feels amazing. Being upright is one of the best positions for labor and that’s easier to maintain in a shower, especially with walls right there to lean on. As you move to adjust where the water hits your body, you are typically maintaining the best movement positions for labor to progress.
The research bears this out too. Repeated studies have found pain relief benefits associated with warm showers. As study authors summarized some of the research: “Heat‐enhanced blood circulation also relieves stress‐induced muscle cramps. Focusing warmth on specific tissues further improves tissue metabolism and elasticity, raising the effective pain threshold….” Their own study found that the use of showers significantly reduced pain. A fascinating study in Brazil found that stress hormones were reduced after the use of a warm shower and exercise ball, making pain tolerances higher. It is such a fabulous, underutilized resource!
Logistics:
If you want to utilize a shower as pain management, make sure to talk with your care provider during your pregnancy. The type of fetal monitoring you have can influence what movement option are available to you (read more about fetal monitoring here).
Some women feel awkward about showering naked in front of birthing staff, so ordering a tankini top can feel a bit more reassuring for them.
Make sure you are still staying hydrated, as a warm shower on top of being hot in labor can make you extra thirsty. Have your doula or husband on standby with a coooooold drink of water so you can take sips in between contractions!