The effect of showering during labor on perceived labour pain, parenting behavior and birth memory

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE: This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of taking a warm shower during labor in pregnant women on pain levels, postpartum parenting behavior and birth memory. MATERIAL AND METHOD: Our experimental randomized controlled study was conducted with a total of 81 pregnant women in 41 experimental and 40 control groups who applied to delivery room in a state hospital between August 1, 2022 and December 31,2022. In our study, an introductory questionnaire, a follow up form for labor, a visual comparison scale, a parenting behavior scale and a birth memory and recall scale were used. Warm shower was applied to the pregnant women in the experimental group during the active phase and transition phase. The pregnant women in the control group were given standard care. Mean, percentile, chi-square independed groups t test was used to evaluete the data. RESULTS: The mean age of the women participating in the study was 25.36±4.4 and 39.5% of them were high school graduates. There was a similarity between the groups in terms of sociodemographic characteristics, application during labor and drugs. While the pain scores of the two groups before the application were similar, the pain scores of the experimental group after both applications were lower than the control group. While the scores of the pregnant women from the postpartum parenting behavior scale did not differ according to the groups, the scores they got from the birth memory and recall scale were higher in the emotional memory and involuntary recall sub-dimension in the control group, and in the sensory memory sub-dimension in the experimental group. CONCLUSION: It was determined that the application of warm shower applied during labor reduced perceived labor pain and had a positive effect on birth memory, but had no effect on postpartum parenting behavior. It is recommended to apply warm shower in all pregnant women who do not have any contraindications. Keywords: Birth Memory, Labour Pain, Midwifery, Parenting Behavior, Warm Shower.