Effect of relaxing bath during first stage of labour on pain, progress of delivery, duration of delivery, need of painrelief and birth outcome. A randomized controlled trial

Status

Recruiting

Phases

Unknown

Study type

Interventional

Source

DRKS

Registry ID

DRKS00019067

Enrollment

472

Registered

2019-11-21

Start date

2019-12-01

Completion date

Unknown

Last updated

2025-04-07

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

O80

Interventions

Group 1: intervention group. relaxing bath during first stage of labour when the cervix is 4 to 6 cm dilated Group 2: control group. no relaxing bath when cervix is between 4 and 6 cm dilated.

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

Female

Inclusion criteria

Inclusion criteria: Study participants are full-aged expectant mothers seeking for a vaginal spontaneous singelton delivery in cephalic presentation on term (completed 37th until 42nd week of pregnancy). At the initial examination, participants must have a cervical dilatation of at least 4 and a maximum if 6 cm.

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion criteria: Exclusion criteria: - no patient's consent - induction of labour - breech presentation - multiple pregnancy - epidural anesthesia before initial examination - Supekte oder pathologische Herztöne am CTG (Kardiotokogramm) nach den FIGO-Kriterien - Suspicious or pathological fetal hearthbeat on CTG (Cardiotokography)/electronic fetal monitor (EFM)regarding FIGO-Guidelines for intrapartum fetal monitoring

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame
pain intensity on the eleven-level visual analogue scale (VAS 0 to 10) during initial examination (first stage of labour when cervix is 4 to 6 cm dilated), one hour afterwards (after relaxing bath in intervention group) and the hours after the initial examination.	—

Secondary

Measure	Time frame
Duration between initial examination and first administration of analgetic Dilatation of the cervix during initial examination (first stage of labour when cervix is 4 to 6 cm dilated), one hour afterwards (after relaxing bath in intervention group) and the hours after the initial examination. Consistency of the cervix during initial examination (first stage of labour when cervix is 4 to 6 cm dilated), one hour afterwards (after relaxing bath in intervention group) and the hours after the initial examination. Effect oft he relaxing bath on the consistency of cervix. Frequency of contractions during initial examination (first stage of labour when cervix is 4 to 6 cm dilated), one hour afterwards (after relaxing bath in intervention group) and the hours after the initial examination. Duration of active first stage of labour in minutes. Duration between initial examination (cervix is 4 to 6 cm dilated) and fully dilated cervix (10 cm) Duration of birth inclusive latent first stage in minutes. Duration between start of regular contractions and delivery of the baby. Duration of birth exclusive latent first stage in minutes. Duration between initial examination (cervix is 4 to 6 cm dilated) and delivery of the baby. Assessment of the baby with APGAR-Score 1 minute, 5 minutes and 10 minutes post partum Risk for the administration of analgetics and peridural anaesthesia Risk for a cervixal dilatation slower than 1 cm per hour or 3 cm per 3 hours Risk for a pain level higher than 8 on the VAS Risk for a Caesarian section and the reason for this. Risk for an instrumental vaginal birth like forceps or vacuum extraction Risk for administration of Oxytocin during birth due to a secondary uterine inertia or a prolonged second stage of labour. BMI (body mass index) of patient; weight of Baby and how many patients are cared by one midwife	—

Measure

Time frame

Duration between initial examination and first administration of analgetic Dilatation of the cervix during initial examination (first stage of labour when cervix is 4 to 6 cm dilated), one hour afterwards (after relaxing bath in intervention group) and the hours after the initial examination. Consistency of the cervix during initial examination (first stage of labour when cervix is 4 to 6 cm dilated), one hour afterwards (after relaxing bath in intervention group) and the hours after the initial examination. Effect oft he relaxing bath on the consistency of cervix. Frequency of contractions during initial examination (first stage of labour when cervix is 4 to 6 cm dilated), one hour afterwards (after relaxing bath in intervention group) and the hours after the initial examination. Duration of active first stage of labour in minutes. Duration between initial examination (cervix is 4 to 6 cm dilated) and fully dilated cervix (10 cm) Duration of birth inclusive latent first stage in minutes. Duration between start of regular contractions and delivery of the baby. Duration of birth exclusive latent first stage in minutes. Duration between initial examination (cervix is 4 to 6 cm dilated) and delivery of the baby. Assessment of the baby with APGAR-Score 1 minute, 5 minutes and 10 minutes post partum Risk for the administration of analgetics and peridural anaesthesia Risk for a cervixal dilatation slower than 1 cm per hour or 3 cm per 3 hours Risk for a pain level higher than 8 on the VAS Risk for a Caesarian section and the reason for this. Risk for an instrumental vaginal birth like forceps or vacuum extraction Risk for administration of Oxytocin during birth due to a secondary uterine inertia or a prolonged second stage of labour. BMI (body mass index) of patient; weight of Baby and how many patients are cared by one midwife

—

Countries

Germany

Contacts

Public ContactHemma Roswitha Pfeifenberger

Abteilung für Geburtshilfe und PränatalmedizinKlinik für Frauenheilkunde und GeburtshilfeUniversitätsklinikum Frankfurt am Main

hemmaRoswitha.Pfeifenberger@kgu.de069 630105190

Outcome results

None listed

Source: DRKS (via WHO ICTRP) · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026