Dealing With Hydrotherapy
Contents
TOC o “1-3” h z u A randomized controlled trial evaluating the effects of immersion bath on labor pain PAGEREF _Toc379446329 h 1Guidelines/policy based on the findings PAGEREF _Toc379446330 h 1Evaluating the change PAGEREF _Toc379446331 h 2Effects of Immersion PAGEREF _Toc379446332 h 3The Effects of the Hydrotherapy on the Anxiety, Pain, Neuroendocrine Responses along with the Contraction of Dynamics during Labor PAGEREF _Toc379446333 h 3Guidelines/policy based on the findings PAGEREF _Toc379446334 h 4Evaluating the change PAGEREF _Toc379446335 h 4Conclusion PAGEREF _Toc379446336 h 4
Hydrotherapy is external and internal use of water in disease. It is also referred to water therapy that relieves the discomfort and promotes physical wellbeing. Some injuries that are good for hydrotherapy are knee, lower back, hip and arm. It is also used for women in contractions and labor in relaxes and decrease parturient anxiety and pain in labor. One significance of hydrotherapy is that, it allows the joints to be protected and muscular reinforcement to take place through proprioceptive mechanisms. Hydrotherapy is therefore safer than physical therapy in situations where a person cannot roll his/her ankle in water while they are walking on the treadmill. This paper will therefore appraise the two articles given while briefly suggesting ways of evaluating the change as well as giving recommendations on the policy based on the findings.
A randomized controlled trial evaluating the effects of immersion bath on labor painManaging the labor pain is one of the major goals of the intrapartum care. There are two methods of labor pain management which includes pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic. In Pharmacologic, the approaches are mainly directed at the elimination of the physical sensation of the labor pain, whereas the non-pharmacologic approaches are directed at the prevention of suffering. In this case, suffering can be defined in terms of psychological elements: the perceived threat to the body. However, pain as well as suffering usually occurs together, in which one may tend to suffer without any pain or a person may have pain but fails to suffer.
Guidelines/policy based on the findingsFrom the findings, it is evidenced that warm baths may cause perspiration; this is because a well hydrated uterus is able to contract more effectively along with getting the job done with less pain. It is therefore evident that, labor pains may progress at a rapid pace because the relaxing effects of water may make contractions seem milder making birth to become imminent without the mother being aware of how close she is to delivery. When a pregnant woman sits in a deep warm bath a series of physiological changes begins immediately and this alters hormone production and fluid distribution throughout the body.
Evaluating the changeIn Hydrotherapy, warm baths helped in discomforts of late pregnancy, however it must be properly timed because it can stop labor. In this case by immersing the belly in a deep tab or pool of water for better pain relief will allow the ease of movement. Women on the other hand are able to instinctively find positions that are more comfortable and of benefit to her baby. The temperature of the water should also be checked at all times to help in making the adjustments when necessary. Cold water should be removed and hot water added so as to maintain the ideal temperature however, this should be done when the mother is in the tab. It is also advisable for women to drink plenty of fluids since the urine production normally increases during labor.
Conversely, many women may start sensing the change of pain hence starts getting out of the bath. It is wise to ask the woman to get out if contractions seem to be slowing down which may take 2 hours or more; no one knows exactly how long this might take, the labor progress increases with the increases in oxytocin, without an increase in pain. The woman also enjoys feelings of calm and well-being caused by oxytocin in her brain. One obvious immediate demonstration of the increased fluid volume is that, sometimes the kidney action often speeds up, hence causing an urgent need to get out and go to the bathroom.
Effects of Immersion Immersion is the safest and the most effective forms of pain relief in labor. Hydrotherapy has been used in relaxation, healing and pain relief for centuries and it is widely used in physical therapy today. Most women plan to use water for labor pain relief and some would wish giving birth in warm water, however this practice has been restricted out in many hospital setting such as in North America, but has been supported in the European Hospitals. The warmth and buoyancy of the water bring out immediate relaxation and relieves pain as well and lowers production of stress hormones. For example, the adrenalin that is known to work against the oxytocin while causing the slowness in contractions anticipation has some of the same psychological effects as the labor progress increases with the increase in oxytocin, without an increase in pain. The long-term effects of immersion in water include; a secondary effect of the increased blood volume in the chest begins slowly, and takes a couple of hours to become obvious. The heart produces ANF (a trial natriuretic factor), which plays an important role in maintaining fluid balance. These effects may be more pronounced in pregnant than non-pregnant women because of the increase in blood volume and tissue fluid that accompanies normal pregnancy.
The Effects of the Hydrotherapy on the Anxiety, Pain, Neuroendocrine Responses along with the Contraction of Dynamics during LaborThe hydrotherapy which means immersion or bathing is today used worldwide by women to promote the relaxation as well as decreasing the parturient anxiety of labor pains. However, this tends to have great psycho-physiological effects which have remained very obscure. The effects of the hydrotherapy on the maternal anxiety and pain were collected using a pretest-posttest design which involves repeated measures. Neuroendocrine responses, the plasma volume shift (PVS), and the uterine contractions (CXs) were examined at three time points.
Guidelines/policy based on the findingsThe method used to find the Effects of the Hydrotherapy on the Anxiety, Pain, Neuroendocrine Responses as well as the Contraction of Dynamics during Labor was, at most ten term women with a mean age of 25 years with labor were immersed to warm water of about 37 °C for about one hour. In this case, the blood samples along with the measures of anxiety for the labor pain were obtained under the dry baseline conditions as well as repeated at about 30 minutes of hydrotherapy. The uterine contractions were also monitored telemetrically.
Evaluating the changeThe results of the findings were that, the hydrotherapy is associated with a decrease in the anxiety, Vasopressin, as well as Oxytocin. Although, there were no significance in the differences between the changes in pre-immersion and the immersion pain. The pain however decreased for the women who had a higher baseline than for the women who had lower baseline levels of about 30 minutes. The cortisol (C) levels also decreased about twice as much at 30 minutes of hydrotherapy for the women who had a higher baseline pain.
ConclusionIn summary, it can be said that, hydrotherapy during the labor pains can greatly affects the neuroendocrine responses that helps in modifying the psycho-physiological processes.
