**3.5 Hydrotherapy**

Pain alleviating mechanism of water has been known for many years. In the past decades, laboring mothers were interested in hydrotherapy due to its comfort [13].

**131**

**Figure 3.**

*Perceptions of Women toward Non-Pharmacological Methods for Pain Relief during Labor*

water injection, discussed below. The aspersion bath enhances relaxation and reduces stress levels and then decreases sense of pain. Examining the neuroendocrine parameters, this method minimizes the release of cortisol and β-endorphins,

Intradermal injections of sterile water in the sacral area may be used to decrease back pain in labor, and it causes a burning sensation that is much more painful than saline injection and thought to relieve labor pain by counter irritation. Women who received injections of sterile water were more interested in receiving the injections in a subsequent labor than women who received saline injections [56]. Randomized control trial was conducted on 393 women using the tub during labor and a control group of 392 women receiving routine care. Women experienced less pain after water immersion than those who received routine, and more than 80% of the water immersion group said they would use the tub in

Music is a type of non-pharmacological technique, which is non-invasive, non-medical, cost-effective, and easily accessible. Music heals the soul and influences immune and endocrine function. Nowadays, many studies oriented into the therapeutic effectiveness of music in the field of obstetrics and revealed that music during childbirth promotes wellbeing of the mother and the fetus [9, 52]. Randomized control trial was done on 100 primigravida in active labor showed that there was no significant difference between both the groups in serum cortisol at pretest, whereas the group differences after the music therapy sessions indicated that the music group had significant lower serum cortisol levels compared to the control group. Thus, music therapy is effective in reducing stress levels in the

*Placement of intradermal water blocks: four intradermal injections of 0.05 to 0.1 mL of sterile water to form four small blebs over each posterior superior iliac spine and 3 cm below and 1 cm medial to each spine [51].*

Hydrotherapy comprises of two methods, such as an aspersion bath and sterile

*DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.93271*

but it increases the secretion of noradrenaline [54, 55].

*3.5.1 How does hydrotherapy work?*

subsequent labors (**Figure 3**) [57].

women during active labor [19].

**3.6 Music therapy**

#### **Figure 2.**

*Continuous support from family childbirth connection since 1918 (www.childbirthconnection.org).*

*Perceptions of Women toward Non-Pharmacological Methods for Pain Relief during Labor DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.93271*

#### *3.5.1 How does hydrotherapy work?*

*Pain Management - Practices, Novel Therapies and Bioactives*

results in good labor outcomes [9, 13, 47, 48, 51].

*3.3.1 How does touch and massage work?*

decrease labor pain [13, 48, 49, 52].

**3.4 Continuous labor support**

**3.5 Hydrotherapy**

ment were reported [40].

**3.3 Touch and massage**

group, 68.5 in the EA group, and 69.0 in the SC group. The study also showed that 2 months after birth recollection of labor pain, no significant differences were found among the groups and women's feeling in the EA group reported acupuncture as being effective for labor pain than MA, MA, spent less time in labor, and had less blood loss. Finally, the study revealed that no serious impacts of acupuncture treat-

Massage is one of the natural pain relief methods. Touch is important in terms of positioning, decreases muscle spasms, relieves labor pain, decreases anxiety, and

In the context of physiology, touch and massage increase endorphins and oxygen supply to tissues and then stimulate nerves, which decrease pain. Studies suggest that those mothers who utilize them may have shorter labors, reduced postpartum depression, shorter hospital stays, and increased patient satisfaction. Not many potential risks were reported for mother and baby; thus, it is an excellent method to

Continuous labor support refers to the nonmedical support of the woman in labor by a trained person, e.g., a doula, consistently has decreased the use of obstetric interventions [46]. Evidence indicates that continuous support during labor has a number of measurable positive impacts on key birth outcomes when compared to intermittent support like; continuous support is associated with less use of pharmacological techniques, fewer operative deliveries, and more reports of satisfaction with birth, and moreover, it has clinically meaningful benefits for women and infants [18, 46, 48, 51, 53]. **Figure 2** shows continuous labor support from the family.

Pain alleviating mechanism of water has been known for many years. In the past decades, laboring mothers were interested in hydrotherapy due to its comfort [13].

**130**

**Figure 2.**

*Continuous support from family childbirth connection since 1918 (www.childbirthconnection.org).*

Hydrotherapy comprises of two methods, such as an aspersion bath and sterile water injection, discussed below. The aspersion bath enhances relaxation and reduces stress levels and then decreases sense of pain. Examining the neuroendocrine parameters, this method minimizes the release of cortisol and β-endorphins, but it increases the secretion of noradrenaline [54, 55].

Intradermal injections of sterile water in the sacral area may be used to decrease back pain in labor, and it causes a burning sensation that is much more painful than saline injection and thought to relieve labor pain by counter irritation. Women who received injections of sterile water were more interested in receiving the injections in a subsequent labor than women who received saline injections [56]. Randomized control trial was conducted on 393 women using the tub during labor and a control group of 392 women receiving routine care. Women experienced less pain after water immersion than those who received routine, and more than 80% of the water immersion group said they would use the tub in subsequent labors (**Figure 3**) [57].

#### **3.6 Music therapy**

Music is a type of non-pharmacological technique, which is non-invasive, non-medical, cost-effective, and easily accessible. Music heals the soul and influences immune and endocrine function. Nowadays, many studies oriented into the therapeutic effectiveness of music in the field of obstetrics and revealed that music during childbirth promotes wellbeing of the mother and the fetus [9, 52]. Randomized control trial was done on 100 primigravida in active labor showed that there was no significant difference between both the groups in serum cortisol at pretest, whereas the group differences after the music therapy sessions indicated that the music group had significant lower serum cortisol levels compared to the control group. Thus, music therapy is effective in reducing stress levels in the women during active labor [19].

#### **Figure 3.**

*Placement of intradermal water blocks: four intradermal injections of 0.05 to 0.1 mL of sterile water to form four small blebs over each posterior superior iliac spine and 3 cm below and 1 cm medial to each spine [51].*
