Perinatal Research Highlights

Current featured study:

Touch in labor: A comparison of cultures and eras.
Hedstrom, L.W., N. Newton.
Birth, 9/1986, 13/3, pp. 181-86

Discusses the purposes of touch in past and current peasant cultures as applied to pregnancy. These include: to lend support to the woman's position, to stimulate contractions and to relieve pain. Argues that large areas of the woman's body are supported or given different types of massage to accomplish this. In the US, by contrast, labor is stimulated and pain is relieved by pharmaceuticals. Touch is applied to much smaller areas of the woman's body and is usually limited to hand holding. The purpose of touch in labor in the US is more to communicate caring and reassurance.

Previously featured studies:

Labor Pain
Field, T., Hernandez-Reif, M., Taylor, S., Quintino, O., & Burman, I.
Journal of Psychosomatic Obstetrics and Gynecology (1997 ;18 : 286-29

Labor pain is reduced by massage therapy.

Twenty-eight women were recruited from prenatal classes and randomly assigned to receive massage in addition to coaching in breathing from their partners during labor, or to receive coaching in breathing alone (a technique learned during prenatal classes).

The massaged mothers reported a decrease in depressed mood, anxiety and more positive affect following the first massage during labor. In addition, the massaged mothers had significantly shorter labor, a shorter hospital stay and less postpartum depression.

Non-pharmacological methods of pain relief during labour
Simkin, Penny
Effective Care in Pregnancy and Birth, Vol II, Oxford University Press, 1989

Comprehensive overview of the history of pain relief practices during labor, the physiology of labor pain, and of the non-drug techniques which can inhibit labor pain by 1) reducing painful stimuli (maternal movement and position changes, counter preassure, abdominal decompression); 2) activating peripheral sensory receptors (superficial heat and cold, hydrotherapy, touch and massage, acupuncture and acupressure, and transcutaneous nerve stimulation); and by 3) enhancing descending inhibitory pathways (attention focusing and distracting, hypnosis, music and audioanalgesia).

Pregnant women benefit from massage therapy
T. Field, M. Hernandez-Reif, S. Hart, H. Theakston, S. Schanberg and C. Kuhn
Journal of Psychosomatic Obstetrics and Gynecology (1999 Mar; 20(1): 31-8)

Twenty-six pregnant women were assigned to a massage therapy or relaxation therapy group for 5 weeks. The therapies consisted of 20-min seesions twice a week. Both groups reported feeling less anxious after the first session and less leg pain after the first and last session. Only the massage therapy group, however, reported reduced anxiety. improved mood, better sleep, and less back pain by the last day of the study. In addition, urinary stress hormone levels (norepinephrine) decreased for the massage therapy group and the women had fewer complications during labor and their infants had fewer postnatal complications (e.g., less prematurity).