The Efficacy of Warm Showers on Labor Pain

INTRODUCTION 

Title of the article 

Efficacy of Warm Showers on Labor 

Pain and Birth Experiences During 

the First Labor Stage 

The topic under study in this article is the effectiveness of having a warm shower during the first phase of labor. According to the Lee et al. (2013) , labor pain is one of the most painful experiences that women face in their lifetime. From different research studies, the authors note that due to the intensity of pain that comes during the birth process, women sometimes opt for cesarean surgery as an escape route. On the same note, other women also find themselves unable to control the birth process making it difficult during the process. It is with such regard that the authors got an interest to find and alternative ways to make the birth experience less painful and positive experience. 

The topic is critical not only for the mothers but for the nursing field. From the authors' views and opinions, numerous pharmacological interventions are meant to reduce pain and increase positive birth process experiences ( Lee et al., 2013) . However, these authors have noted with a concern that such approaches sometimes extend the labor period making it difficult on the women's side. In this case, the result of this study would provide a cheap and effective non-pharmaceutical approach to pain control that would be critical not only for hygiene but for making the birth experience positive. 

In this sense, therefore, Lee et al. (2013) are out to define a warm shower as a therapy to reduce pain and also increase the positivity of birth. The authors thus hypothesized that having a warm bath at the first phase of labor minimizes the intensity of pain during delivery in addition to increase positive birth experience. 

METHOD 

Research Design 

Subjects/Participants 

The research method for this study is a Randomized controlled trial (RCT). The RCT is a quantitative research study where the researcher has two groups for the study. The first group is usually the experimental study, while the second group is the controlled group. Each of these groups is assigned participants who are selected randomly. It is the same in this study. The two groups are women who are to take a warm shower before the birth process and those who are to undergo the standard and normal clinical procedure of birth. The participants are assigned to each group using a computer program that randomly selects each participant and assignment to the group. In this case, it is an example of RCT. 

RCT is the best for this experiment because the nature of the experiment demands that there is a need to compare the outcome of the primary variable, which in this case is the effect of the warm shower at the first phase of labor on pain reduction ( Lee et al., 2013) . In this manner, having both controlled and experimental sides would be the best way to compare the outcomes, and conclude that due to the effect of the warm shower at the first phase of the labor, the differences in the labor pain intensity and birth experiences were evident. 

The participants for the study were women who were laboring. The women were to accompany their family members who were to be with them during the entire study. Furthermore, all these women were to give birth normally, and the study disqualified any lady who anticipated caesarian (Lee et al., 2013) . Additionally, all these women were expecting uncomplicated vaginal delivery of a term singleton fetus, dilated to at least 4 cm at the time of their enrolment. Finally, all the participants who anticipated or expected epidurals did not meet the qualification for the study. Thus, they faced elimination. 

Random sampling was useful in this case as it was used to select each participant and to use it to the group. The sampling was done using a computer program that was to choose the participants and randomly allocate them to their group. For the study, Statistical power analysis calculated the required sample size. 

Data Collection 

Data Collection 

The data collection for this study was done using numerous instruments. The first was the Visual Analogue Scale for Pain, which was a standard instrument that was used to take records on the intensity of the labor pain before and after the experiment. Lee et al. (2013) discuss that it was a tool suitable for this experiment because it has a good record of determining the severity of physical pain in numerous contexts, such as cancer and arthritis. The scale used was from zero to ten, with zero being no pain while ten being extreme pain. This instrument measured the participants' level of pain before they took part in the study and after they had taken part in the study. The next instrument for data collection for the study was the Labor Agentry Scale, which is an instrument that determines the mothers’ feelings during the birth process ( Lee et al., 2013) . Note that part of the study was to understand the effect of a warm shower on the mothers' experience during the birth process. In this sense, this instrument was vital for determining the level of experience. The last instrument was a survey questionnaire. Note that nurses were to use the first two instruments were to be used, and take records after a specific time during the study. However, the mothers or their relatives filled the questionnaires, which the research later translated into Chinese language. It captured many details such as personal detail, family history, and health condition history. 

The data analysis was computer-based. The study used SPSS version 18.0 for analyses. Particularly, this analysis approach was used to determine the demographic statistics for the participants. On the other hand, The Kolmogorov–Smirnov goodness of- fit test and normality plot investigated the distributional Characteristics of study-dependent variables. Finally, The generalized estimating equations (GEE) model controlled the effects of study covariates and analyzed the independent effect of warm showers ( Lee et al., 2013) . Together, these analysis approaches were to analyze and identify the effects of a specific variable within the study that was to make an impact on the final study results. 

During the study, two critical measures made the research ethical. The first was consent. Each of the participants had a chance to understand the entire study and its objectives. In this sense, they were to consent to the research and participate willingly during the study. Further, they were to withdraw if they felt they could no longer continue, and this would have no impact on the entire birth process for such participants. Finally, each participant had submitted critical details about themselves and their family and health history. In this sense, there was a high rate of confidentiality, as the research facilitators promised all the participants personal data protection. 

The results are significant in the nursing field because they imply that other than the pharmaceutical approaches to reducing pain, other alternative methods can work better and eliminate some weaknesses which come with pharmaceutical interventions. 

However, the nurses must be keen to find enough evidence on the water temperature requirements, the parts of the body where the mother should concentrate while using the warm water, the duration of the shower, and the number of the shower episodes. These areas warrant enough evidence as they seem to change with the mother and the weather, as shown in the research study. 

The authors generally have done proper research that is easy to understand. However, they have not mentioned any limitations that the reader needs to consider before using the results from the research. It means that the authors have not given any chance for further research on this topic or any area related to it.