Observing position and movements in hydrotherapy: a pilot study
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Published on: January 28, 2020
Mary Ann Stark1, Barb Rudell, George Haus
1Bronson School of Nursing, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI 49008, USA. mary.stark@wmich.edu
Objective:
To observe and describe the positions and movements women choose while immersed in water during the first stage of labor.
Design:
Descriptive, observational pilot study.
Setting:
A rural community hospital that provided hydrotherapy in labor.
Participants:
Women (N = 7) who intended to use hydrotherapy in labor were recruited prenatally from a midwife-managed practice.
Measures:
For 15 minutes of each hour during the first stage of labor, position and movements of the participants were observed and recorded on a laptop computer. The observational tool was developed for this study from a review of the literature and interviews with nursing experts; 435 observations were recorded. Women were free to choose when and how long to use hydrotherapy and had no restriction on their positions and movements.
Results:
Only 3 of the 7 participants labored in the tub. Women demonstrated a greater range of positions and movements in the tub than in bed, both throughout labor and during late first-stage labor (7-10 cm of dilatation). Women had more contractions and made more rhythmic movements while in the tub than in bed.
Conclusions:
Hydrotherapy may encourage upright positions and movements that facilitate labor progress and coping, helping women avoid unnecessary interventions.
