Does water really help that much with contraction pain?

A question on my mind, cos I really don't wanna go through the same pain as I did with Eden.. LOL

I know that I was scared, and fear = pain, so I probably caused more pain for myself than was necessary. So I know that when I felt a contraction coming I was like, oh no not again, and would fight against the pain, instead of going with it. So I know that wouldn't have helped either.

I went in the bath for about 20 minutes or something when I first arrived at the birth centre, but each time I had a contraction I would lift myself out of the bath anyway to get through it :lol: And then I had to get out to have a bowel movement, and never went back in. Shower was never offered for pain relief, so I spent the majority of my labour on the toilet or crouched on the floor screaming for someone to make the pain go away ;) Of course no pain relief was offered because they didn't have any!!

So this time, I do want to handle the pain better. I know my scar will hold up fine, so I don't have that thought at the back of my mind. My chiro has promised she does a sacral hold which reduces the pain of a contraction up to 50% - so that sounds good to me.

But does water really make that much of a difference? How does it make a difference? Is it just that it relaxes you so you don't tense up during a contraction, or is there something more to it than that?

It's probably very individual, and probably changes with each birth......but I found water BLISSFUL!!!!! I really enjoyed DS1's birth, and that's mostly down to using water for probably 9-10 out of 14 hours. I used the shower earlier on, and then the bath when I was getting past 5cm (approx) and getting a bit desperate. And then I used gas in the bath from transition, it was fantastic!

A great experience for me :). But I guess it's one of those things that you don't really know until you're in the moment. Sorry, that's not very helpful!!! :redface:

I felt it did make a difference with DS, however once I was in the bath I didnt get out for anything. I got into the bath about half an hour before DS was born & it seemed to ease the sharpness of the contractions.

I think for some people it does make a definate difference, and some it doesn't. Not much help huh, lol! For me, I loved being in the bath when I was labouring at home and while I was in pre labour for days. The only place I could get comfy was the bath. I slept in the bath the day before I went to hospital because I couldn't find the same level of comfort I did anywhere else. The shower didn't do anything for me, but the bath....ahhhh, I still remember the bliss! But I love water and I love baths even when not pg, so maybe that might have been why it was so good for me.

what lilias said! I survived my pre labour by spending most of the nights in the bath, even had a sleep in there, also loved the shower, but was never offered water as pain relief at the hospital.

Nothing better than labouring and giving birth in water imo and Ive done two land-bed-back births and a free flowing waterbirth. I wish I had of had the water option with my first two.

Look, its still painful but not scary painful iykwim? It kind of dulls the pain enough that you can get through it without falling apart. I was chatting and thinking to myself while I was floating around in the tub, and when a cx hit I would lean on the side of the tub and sort of rock/swish my body through the water. Its really calming.

If your someone who has a nice hot bath if you have a sore body part then it would prob be a great option for you. Warm water soothes sore muscles and labour definately invites sore muscles right ;)

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.

i spent the last 30 mins of labour in the shower and it was bliss! i directed the nosel to either front or back depending on what felt better, but wish id gotten in sooner :doh: but it certainly made transition better!

All 3 of my labours have been spent in the shower, the entire time. I loved it, it was my only relief.

The shower was bliss!! I was in there for hrs and hrs with the hot water on my back or down low at the front during contractions. It REALLY REALLY helped. I didn't like the bath though. I didn't like the weightless feeling. I felt more pain in there. Sort of like with the floating there was no other sensations in my body (like the weight of my feet on the ground, etc, etc) and so only the pain to concentrate on.

I spent a fair amount of labour with #1 in a nice big bath, and an hour or so in the shower (lying on my back on the floor with the water going straight on the sorest bit) and it really helped.

Was no time for anything with #3 though :)

I'm a weirdo in labour because I prefer to be lying down on my back. I close my eyes and kinda go into a quiet, still trance like state. I feel like I can't support my weight when I'm standing, sitting and it panics me. I've had inductions so I haven't had the bath option but TBH I couldn't stand the shower.

I think for me next time I'm going to try the shower/bath early on before the ctx get intense so I can get used to the feeling.

I called my labouring time in the tub my "aquadural". I went from having to remember to try and relax, to being in utter bliss and sleeping through contractions. It's different for everyone but certainly worth a try before drugs.

I was dragged out of the bath by the midwife because I kept falling alseep :lol: but yes helped me heaps but then so did the shower as Olive said you can direct the water pressure for were you need it by rotating around

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.

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 :happyforyou:

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 :D

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!

Both of my labours where spent in the shower - IT WAS HEAVEN!!!! Shower and DH's support where my own pain relief. DH controlled the shower for me and during a contraction it was on my tummy and on my back in between. Poor DH got drenched but he was awesome!!

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.

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!

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!!

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.

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.

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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.

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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!

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

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

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.