Does water really help that much with contraction pain?

[meow]

I spent hours (and a gilzillion litres of water) in the shower. LOVED it! I wouldn't have wanted a bath in my last labour- I found having the hot water hit straight on my back really helped and I also needed to be upright. This time I'll be having a birth pool and I intend to birth in there but I'll use the shower again if that helps more in labour.

[Cricket]

I've had two medicated, hospital bed births, one unmedicated home waterbirth, and one hospital bed birth without medication. Our hospital does not have a birthing tub, or I would have been in it in a flash! I did use the shower there for as long as I could for all my hospital births. With my fourth, I was on a birthing stool in the shower - that was a great option - contractions slowed down a bit, and baby descended, and I dilated.
The medication I had with the first two births was a narcotic. I would say that it didn't actually really help the pain, it just made me relax. It hurt, and I didn't care so much anymore. I can not remember too much about those labours.
With my third, I laboured at home in our own large tub, with whirlpool jets. The water had a similar effect to the narcotic, in a sense. I could relax soooooo much better, and that in itself made things easier. If you don't fight yourself, it eases the pain, and you can progress better. It didn't take the pain away, but I could cope better. Apparently the midwife asked me if I could get out towards the end. I have no memory of that. DH apparently looked at her like she was crazy, and the idea was immediately dropped. I was not budging!
With this baby, (#5) we are definitely planning another home water birth. It's not a magical pain-remover, IMO, but it does help you relax and cope much more naturally.
All the best!

[OceanPrincess]

I think it really does help - on the labour/birth summary that I was discharged with, under pain relief it had "hydro immersion" so it must be legit!!

For my first labour, I used the shower sporadically, along with gas, for pain relief. I quite liked it.

For my second, it all happened much faster and I had thrown up and got a bit of muck in my hair, so I jumped in the shower to wash my hair and was in there for a good 40mins.

Got to the birth centre and said I might need some pain relief, could I try the gas or jump in the shower? Being a birth centre they were very quick to say "let's try shower first!"

I was in there for about two hours, with DH holding one nozzle on my back and me facing the other nozzle so it went on my tummy. I loved it.

When it wad time to start pushing, the MW told me to come out of the shower and I almost cried! Said I might need the gas then and she told me it was too late!

So I birthed my 10lb 11oz boy by myself!!

[Junglemum]

i hated the shower, i got in for about 10 minutes and couldn't wait to get out. Not sure why...... just wasn't helping me. I was much happier on a fit ball.

[Honeybee]

I only used the shower at home, and only for about 10 mins early on and it really helped (thought I should save the hot water in case I needed it later, never got back to it), but I also found while I was at home I got a lot of relief sitting on a fit ball with a hot wheat bag pressed against my lower back. The heat made all the difference when the contractions started in my lower back. So for me, heat was fantastic and I think a hot shower would have been great. By the time I got to hospital, I was ready to push so no time to do showers or baths then.

[sasha]

I didn't go in the bath but I spent aaaages in the shower with the head directed on my lower back. I loved it. I didn't want to get out at all. I really found it helped a lot to get through the contractions.

This.

I went in the bath for S' birth and it was OK, probably mostly because I was able to hold onto the support bars on the side. The water went cold after a while and that annoyed me. I can't really remember if it helped the pain or just distracted me.

Then with T, I stood in the shower leaning over, then leant over a bean-bag, and then sat on a birthing stool, and all that time I had the shower directed on my lower back, and it helped a LOT. When we got close, the midwife turned the shower off and she was born then and there. I intend to spend most of my time in the shower for this one too.

Edited to add: I remember though with S, going in the shower at home and it just annoyed me because I got too hot. And I wonder if I'll feel the same with this one a bit because again, it will be at a warm time of the year? Have to wait and see, I guess. I'm actually just hoping it's quick so I don't have to worry about it too much!

[Cassius2]

water immersion was my friend! loved it! love my birth pool lol!

[Pandora]

It did for me. With both boys, it also increased the effectiveness of my cx in my opinion

[Miss.September]

I didn't know I was in labour (long story there!!) and had been really uncomfortable all day. I hit the shower and it was the most glorious, wonderful thing ever. I had the tap on as hot as I could bear it and just let the water run down my back. I have no idea how long I was in there, but still remember to this day how beautiful that shower was. When I did realise it was labour and I went to hospital, water wasn't offered either as pain relief and I didn't think to ask for a bath.

[Kazbah]

I had the ezemom electropads on my back (forget what they're called - bloody preggo brain!) at the start. Moved into the bath during transition, I kept pulling myself to the edge of the tub during cx and they really had to pull me out - just in time for delivery!

[Artechim]

For me the bath dulled the contraction pains down heaps so it was only like moderate period pain. It was so relaxing that I fell asleep between contractions and woke during them, rotated my pelvis around a bit until it was over and then fell back asleep. It also seemed to soften up the area so there was no 'ring of fire' for me or any tearing.

[Bloom]

Oooh yeah! I used the shower then bath at home (we have a corner spa bath) and then bath and shower at hospital (only got out of the bath as the MW made me, when the MW realised that I wasn't sposed to be in the bath as I didn't meet the "requirements").

I found it much easier to relax between the contractions and also it definately reduced the pain. Plus I really like being clean (okay, so I shampooed my hair while in labour in the shower at home, I wanted it to be nice and clean!).

One really good suggestion from my BC was to get foam squares cut 20cm x 20cm x 5cm from clark rubber (the look on the teenage boy's face when I described what I wanted them for was hilarious!). They can be used to kneel on or to make the edge of the tub softer for your forehead. I ended up putting one on the corner soap dish thingy in the shower and putting my head on it.

[Beach Mama]

I thought I would love the shower and ended up hating the feeling of it on my back so I got out pretty fast. The bath on the other hand was heavenly and I stayed in for over an hour. Was lucky because I was induced, had the drip in and a portable doppler on. The MW said if it was during the day I wouldn't have been able to do it but as long as I promised not to pull the drip in I could go in. Got out and things got a bit hairy and wished I had stayed in for longer, I loved the sensation of being weightless in between ctxs.