V. Geissbuehler, J. Eberhard, A. Lebrecht
Waterbirth: water temperature and bathing time mother knows best!
Objectives: The Frauenfeld Clinic for Obstetrics and Gynecology
introduced waterbirths in 1991. This work examines
whether guidelines for water temperature and
bathing are actually necessary.
Methods: This 8-year prospective clinical study follows
10,775 births in a regional women's hospital (non-selected
population). Neonatal and maternal body temperature
and morbidity parameters were compared between
land and waterbirths. A smaller study (n = 47) selectively
focused on body temperature differences as influenced
by bathing time and water temperature in waterbirths as
compared to land births.
Results: Neonatal and maternal birth and perinatal parameters,
and body temperatures do not differ between
water and land births, except at birth, when waterbearing
temperatures were 36.9 °C vs. 36.3 °C on land.
Neonatal rectal temperatures did not differ significantly
between the two groups. Water temperature increased
from the beginning of the bath (35.2 °C) to
35.7 °C, and fell at the end of the bath to 32.9 °C. Water
temperature range: 23 °C to 38.9 °C. Bathing duration:
28 min. to 364 min.
Conclusions: Waterbirths pose no thermal risk. The parturient,
with her “inborn code of body temperature regulation,”
regulates water temperature and bathing duration
to ensure body temperatures of mother and child remain
within the physiological range. Cumbersome guidelines
for water temperature and bathing duration are
therefore superfluous.
Journal of Perinatal Medicine, Walter de Gruyter
Print ISSN: 1619-3997
Volume: 30, 09/2002
Pages: 371 - 378
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