Does water really help that much with contraction pain?

[MrsB26]

Oh i loved loved loved the shower. I liked that icould direct the shower head from my back to my belly and it felt like a distraction from the contraction. Once it got really intense i got in the bath. The midwife had to practically drag me out after 4 hours as i was running a fever and she didnt want tme to get any hotter. I'll tell you, once i got out the contractions felt a zillion times worse
This time i'm hoping to stay in and birth in the bath if it works as good for the pain as it did with ds.

[studentmum]

LOVED the warm water - I didn't even have a bath/birth pool but boy oh boy do I want one for #4, with DS the warm shower was DIVINE

The problem with the shower was, it got too steamy, with the pool even if it is warm out you can have a fan in your face to cool off...love it.

Sarah

[briggsy's girl]

i went from nothing to 7cm in less than 2 hours using water for pain relief. the hospital birthing suite had two shower heads that you could direct anywhere, so as contractions hit, i had one on my belly one on my back - it wasn't pain that ended up getting to me, it was shear exhaustion as the prelabour after having the gels for the induction had stopped me sleeping the two previous nights and i just couldn't stand up (and sitting wasn't working as well). i was hooked up to every maching under the sun, so a bath was a no go - but given the relief the heat and water gave me, i reckon a bath owuld have been perfect!