Using Warm Compresses in Labor to Reduce Pain and Tearing

Mar 28, 2011
Brenda Lane

Warm Compresses Can Reduce Labor Pain and Tears - Capt Brando

What are ways that warm compresses can be used effectively during labor? Find out how to use this easy remedy to reduce pain and decrease tearing at birth.

Question - I would like to know the effectiveness of warm compresses on sacral region in reduction of labour pain in the first stage of labour. Is there research conducted on this topic? Please let me know.

Warm Compresses Used for Pain Relief in Labor

It is no surprise that warm compresses can help reduce back pain in labor since moist heat is used often by physical therapists and other health care professionals to reduce many forms of chronic pain. While current research on warm compresses on the mother's sacrum (lower back) to reduce labor pain is scant, accounts by childbirth professionals indicate that warm compresses are both effective and common.

According to an article published in the Journal of Midwifery and Women's Health (2004), the use of both heat and cold compresses are effective choices for pain relief during labor. "Superficial applications of heat and/or cold, in various forms, are popular with laboring women. They are easy to use, inexpensive, require no prior practice, and have minimal negative side effects when used properly. Although there are no RCTs [retrospective controlled trials] on the use of heat or cold during labor, these modalities have been studied for their effects on pain induced under experimental conditions," explain authors Simkin and Bolding.

Warm Compresses in Second Stage to Prevent Tearing

Another popular use for warm compresses is to apply them to the mother's perineum to not only reduce pain but also to prevent tearing. Often utilized by midwives during the delivery process, studies have shown that warm compresses are quite effective to protect the mother's perineum during the second stage of labor.

One study showed that women who were not given warm compresses in second stage not only had increased anal tears but reported higher levels of pain both during and a few days after giving birth. Other research shows that the application of warm compresses plays a crucial role (along with a side-lying position and perineal support) in preventing tearing during labor.

If you are interested in using warm compresses to reduce lower back pain in labor or to prevent tearing during labor, be sure to include these preferences in your birth plan and discuss your options with your care provider during pregnancy.

Sources

Simkin, P., Bolding, A. (2004). "Update on Nonpharmacologic Approaches to Relieve Labor Pain and Prevent Suffering", Journal of Midwifery and Women's Health.
Dahlen, H. G., Homer, C. S. E., Cooke, M., Upton, A. M., Nunn, R., & Brodrick, B. (2007). "Perineal outcomes and maternal comfort related to the application of perineal warm packs in the second stage of labor: A randomized controlled trial." Birth, 34(4), 282–290.
Hastings-Tolsma, M et al.(2007), "Getting through birth in one piece: protecting the mother's perineum," The American Journal of Maternal Child Nursing, 32(3):158-64.