Culture, bathing and hydrotherapy in labor: An exploratory descriptive pilot study

Area of Science:

• Women's Health
• Maternal-Fetal Medicine
• Hydrotherapy Research

Background:

• Bathing, or hydrotherapy, is commonly used during labor to reduce anxiety, pain, and promote relaxation.
• The influence of cultural beliefs on the practice of bathing by parturients remains largely unexplored.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore pregnant women's experiences with bathing.
• To investigate the use of bathing during labor.
• To examine cultural beliefs associated with bathing among pregnant women.

Main Methods:

• An exploratory, descriptive pilot study design.
• Involved 41 healthy pregnant women (all ethnicities) at >37 weeks gestation from low-risk obstetrical clinics.
• Data collected via open-ended questionnaires and modified ethnographic methods, including observation, note-taking, thematic analysis, and quantification of response rates.

Main Results:

• 46% of women used bathing for non-hygiene purposes, but only 4.9% bathed during previous labor.
• Women described bathing as relaxing, easing, calming, and effective for menstrual cramps and labor contractions.
• Only 10% of women reported cultural beliefs about bathing.

Conclusions:

• Bathing provides relief from anxiety, menstrual, and labor pain, promoting mental and physical relaxation.
• Findings suggest bathing is a self-care measure, likely transmitted orally by female elders, rather than being tied to specific cultural beliefs.
• Assumptions about race or ethnicity influencing bathing practices may be inaccurate; caution advised for pregnant women under 37 weeks gestation regarding bathing for pain relief.