Did it help?
-
I almost posted this very question yesterday!
Yes, I did, for a while at home and then again in the hospital. I cannot believe some people don't- it felt amazing! I think I laid in our tub with the shower beating down on my stomach for like an hour, on and off, before we went to the hospital. At the hospital the midwife had me labor out of the tub as long as I could because apparently at some point it stops helping, so she wanted me to be able to take advantage when it got really bad.
But I talked to a lot of people who didn't at all, or who did and didn't think it helped. Weird how it's so different for everyone.
I had no IVs or anything and intermittent monitoring.
-
If you are induced, will they even let you?
-
I did both times and loved it!! But I'm not sure you'll be able to if you have to have an IV the entire time? I had an IV, but didn't need to be hooked up for the majority of the time I labored, so I was just told to keep it from getting wet. But if you're induced, you may not have the option.
-
I did with ds and it was aaaaammmmaaazing!! It really helped until it got cold and labor got too intense
-
At home I did but at the hospital I labored in the shower and that was amazing!!
-
I tried to at home but could never get my belly submerged. I took a shower, but it made my contractions come more quickly but be shorter, and since it was early in labor I didn't want them to peter out.
-
@blackbird: Are you asking me specifically? Yeah, I wasn't able to get a straight answer from my Dr. Right now, since my water is broken, I can't take a bath, only shower. I understand now because of the risk of infection but during labor might be different. I plan to ask again.
-
@Adira: Oh, I'll have an IV. Didn't think about that. Is the IV constantly flowing? I have taken a shower with a hep-lock IV in.
@Anya: Good to know that a shower can still help.
-
@bluestriped bee: beyond the heat and water, I think the white noise was what made the shower the best place to labor.
-
I tried at home, but it didn't help at all, and it wasn't an option at the hospital. The one I'm delivering this one at does have jacuzzi tubs in all of the rooms, though, and I think that would have helped my back labor last time (my tub was just too small).
-
The shower really helped, and I had crazy high hopes for the labour tub at the hospital. But we got it filled, I sat there for two contractions, and hated it!! The reclined position was terrible for my back labour.
-
@bluestriped bee: I'm not sure. My IV wasn't hooked up while I labored in the tub, but I only needed an IV to help boost my platelets. If you're being induced, you may need a constant flow of drugs to get things going though, so I'm not sure!
-
Same as what @Mrs. Oatmeal said. I tried it for 45 minutes (with heplock they taped up to keep it from getting wet) but the hard surface/positioning killed my back labor.
If your water has broken it still seems they wouldn't allow it but I'm no doctor!
-
@bluestriped bee: Yeah, I was. So for most people I know who's water has broken and then they were induced, the risk of cord prolapse is high. You might be confined to a bed. This was the case for me and a few of my friends, anyways.
-
I thought the tub was going to be awesome. I got in it at home and was uncomfortable during the first contraction, and then I almost jumped out of it with my second one. I did not help me at all. But, my labor progressed so fast that I didn't really have time to think about trying again once we were at the hospital.
-
I had an induction and I wasn't allowed to. It had something to do with the monitors, but in retrospect I don't really get it because they had wireless monitors to go in the tub. It may have been because they had a really hard time my entire labor getting a read on DS's heartbeat.
But my advice is ask your doctor ahead of time and then advocate like hell for what you want. There were a lot of things I wasn't happy with during my labor and I wish I'd spoken up more about it.
-
@blackbird: oh, ok. Yeah, I did ask if I had stay in bed to labor and she said as long as I'm not bleeding and still trace amounts of leakage that I should be able to walk the halls if I wanted to.
-
@bluestriped bee: Ah that's good! Laboring in bed is a really, really shitty way to go about it.
-
It was really the only thing that helped.
-
No. I was induced so it was not an option at any point in the process.
-
I planned to, but my preeclampsia required me to be on a constant magnesium IV. So I wasn't even allowed out of bed, let alone in a bathtub.
-
Yes. The entire time. It was wonderful. I did my practice pushes in the tub, too, then delivered on the bed.
-
Yep! I tried at home, when I was almost in transition but didn't know it (but THAT'S a longer story...) and it was miserable...like, I felt like a beached whale because the contractions were so bad and my belly was basically stuck in the tub. I couldn't move and it sucked!
But theeeeeen, when we got to the hospital AFTER transition, I was already fully dilated but she needed to move down some. I could NOT have done the next hour, before pushing, without the labor tub. It was GLORIOUS. I leaned back against the side during breaks, and flipped over and held the edge of the tub during contractions.
-
Yes and I had high expectations but HATED it!!!
-
Tried it, hated it. There was no getting the water temp right - during contractions it felt so hot, and between them so cold. Or maybe the other way around? Can't remember. And I thrashed around a lot in labor and almost smashed my head several times, so I couldn't relax. Might have been nice for early labor, but not active.
-
I labored in the tub for a bit, but it wasn't as awesome as I was hoping. That probably had more to do with the fact that I was in transition by the time I had the tub filled so nothing really felt good at that point.
I did spend a good amount of time standing in the shower before filling up the tub and it was awesome because I could let the water hit my back between contractions and then my stomach during.
-
@bluestriped bee: my water broke both times so it was not allowed. My son was born at 34 weeks and daughter at 37 weeks.
-
@BandDmommy: Did you try taking a shower? Did that help?
-
@bluestriped bee: wasn't allowed..
-
@BandDmommy: oh, no shower either? That sucks. Were you able to walk around or did you have to stay in bed?
-
@wonderstruck: yes! I've never met someone who also hated it!
-
@bluestriped bee: in bed.. 1st pregnancy they were trying to stop contractions, didn't work.. He was born at 34 weeks.. DD water broke, risk of infection, so had to get baby out fast
-
@bluestriped bee: TBH, I was fine laboring in bed.. I had TV to watch.. Lol
-
I did at home! But no tub at the hospital plus I got there 8cm and begging for an epidural!
-
It was offered to me but my labor was progressing too quickly and it was already time to push. I had had IV antibiotics for GBS and my water had already broken, so they were clearly okay with me being in the jacuzzi under those circumstances though.
Now when the nurse offered me to get in the jacuzzi the day AFTER I gave birth, and after I had taken two percocet, now that was the most amazing feeling in the wooooorld.
I stayed in there over an hour. I felt like I was on a cloud.
-
@sslm: Yes, we seem to be rare! They asked if I wanted it the second time around and I was basically like, "Well, I guess it can't hurt to try in case I have a different experience, but my expectations have been seriously lowered." LOL. I was expecting some miracle pain relief the first time - like you said, they were way too high! lol
@PawPrints: TMI, but wasn't there blood everywhere after?
-
@wonderstruck: This was the next day, but I actually did ask the nurse "Is it okay if I'm bleeding everywhere?" and she said it was fine. Magically I did not notice any blood in the water though, actually. Though that could be because I was blissed out on percocet.
-
No, I wasn't allowed to because my water had broken with DD1, and DD2 came so quickly that I didn't have time.
-
@blackbird: Yes! I was able to go in the tub with my induction. I had to keep the IV arm out of the water but they had water proof wireless monitors for the baby.
@bluestriped bee: Definitely ask and see what they say! I was in the tub after my water broke but it had only been broken for a short period of time.
I stayed in there over an hour. I felt like I was on a cloud.
Subscribe to our newsletter
- Google Plus
- Stumbleupon
- Twitter
- Facebook
- Pinterest
- Favorite0
56 comments