Culture, bathing and hydrotherapy in labor: An exploratory descriptive pilot study.
Rebecca Benfield, Margaret M Heitkemper, Edward R Newton
PMID 29961561WHAT IT FOUND
Only 2 of 41 women had used bathing in a previous pregnancy.
Most reported no cultural beliefs about bathing, but those who did said older female relatives advised bathing for relaxation or pain in labor.
Key findings
0146% of 41 women said they had used bathing for purposes other than getting clean, while 54% said they had not.
02Only 2 women (4.9%) had used bathing in a previous pregnancy.
0390% said they had no cultural beliefs about bathing, and 10% said yes; the yes responses described older female relatives advising bathing in labor.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The sample was small, with 41 women, and the authors said the findings must be viewed with caution because of the small sample size. The study was done in one geographic area, so it may not apply elsewhere. Data were collected in busy prenatal settings with time limits, and a longer in-depth interview was not possible. The researchers did not ask if tubs were available, if bathing was recommended by health care providers, or where previous births occurred. The ethnicity and race form did not differentiate by country of origin or address socio-economic factors. The small subsample with previous labor bathing prevented additional analyses of those responses.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this as proof that bathing reduces labor pain or anxiety. It was a small descriptive questionnaire, not a trial, and only 2 women reported previous bathing in pregnancy.