Therapeutic showering in labor.

While showering is thought to be an effective coping strategy during labor, research on this comfort measure is lacking. The purpose of this study was to measure effectiveness of therapeutic showering on pain, coping, tension, anxiety, relaxation, and fatigue in labor. A quasi-experimental pretest-posttest single group design was conducted in a community hospital. Participants were women who had singleton, uncomplicated pregnancies and were in active labor at term (N = 24). After completing pretest measures, participants took a 30 min shower where they were encouraged to be seated but could choose positions of comfort. There were significant reductions in tension and anxiety and increased relaxation and coping. Showering may be a safe and effective comfort measure for healthy, laboring women who are experiencing tension or anxiety, or having difficulty relaxing or coping with labor. Further research is needed to test the maternal and neonatal outcomes of this nonpharmacologic comfort measure.