Knowledge on complementary and alternative therapies for childbirth pain relief: a comparative study between music therapy and Hugo Baych point massage

Labour presents a physiological and psychological challenge for women. As labour becomes more imminent this can be a time of conflicting emotions; fear and apprehension can be coupled with excitement and happiness. Tension, anxiety and fear are factors contributing towards women's perception of pain and may also affect their labour and birth experience. Pain associated with labour has been described as one of the most intense forms of pain that can be experienced. Pain experienced by women in labour is caused by uterine contractions, the dilatation of the cervix and, in the late first stage and second stage, by stretching of the vagina and pelvic floor to accommodate the baby. However, the complete removal of pain does not necessarily mean a more satisfying birth experience for women. Effective and satisfactory pain management need to be individualised for each woman. The use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) has become popular with consumers worldwide. Studies suggest that between 30% and 50% of adults in industrialised nations use some form of CAM to prevent or treat health‐related problems. Complementary therapies are more commonly used by women of reproductive age, with almost half (49%) reporting use. It is possible that a significant proportion of women are using these therapies during pregnancy. A recent survey of 242 pregnant women in the United States reported that complementary therapies were used by 9% of women. Herbs were the most frequently used therapy. Many women would like to avoid pharmacological or invasive methods of pain relief in labour and this may contribute towards the popularity of complementary methods of pain management. During labor, women experience a high level of intense, stressful and steady pain that may negatively affect both mothers and neonates. Painkillers have previously been used for childbearing women, but nowadays, owing to some well-known limitations and serious side effects, nonpharmacologic methods such as massage and music therapies are being broadly recommended. The present clinical trial was conducted to compare the effects of massage and music therapies on the severity of labor pain in the Ilam province of western Iran. Overall, 101 primigravidae who were hospitalized for vaginal delivery were recruited and randomly stratified into two groups of either massage (n = 51) or music (n = 50) therapies. Pain was measured using the visual analog scale and the two groups were compared in terms of pain severity before and after the interventions. Mothers in the massage therapy group had a lower level of pain compared with those in the music therapy group (p = 0.009). A significant difference was observed between the two groups in terms of pain severity after intervention (p = 0.01). Agonizing, or most severe, labor pain was significantly relieved after massage therapy (p = 0.001). Massage therapy was an effective method for reducing and relieving labor pain compared with music therapy and can be clinically recommended as an alternative, safe and affordable method of pain relief where using either pharmacological or nonpharmacological methods are optional.

Knowledge on complementary and alternative therapies for childbirth pain relief: a comparative study between music therapy and Hugo Baych point massage Keywords:

labor pain , massage therapy , music therapy