Why Is Water Immersion Therapy So Beneficial During Labor?

MOKENA, ILLINOIS— Women’s Healthcare of Illinois is relentless in its pursuit to offer greater options for labor and delivery. The practice has a reputation for providing comprehensive and exceptional care to meet the needs of patients in the southwest Chicagoland area and Northwest Indiana, and now it will offer hydrotherapy as a pain management alternative during labor at Advocate South Suburban Hospital.

This announcement comes on the heels of Women’s Healthcare of Illinois’ recent addition of nitrous oxide as a pain management option for expecting mothers.

“Our patients truly come first in everything we do,” said Beth Helme Smith, a certified nurse midwife with Women’s Healthcare of Illinois. “We believe women should have the power to choose the best options for their care, and together we can make that happen by offering attractive choices like hydrotherapy.”

Water immersion hydrotherapy is a safe and effective non-pharmacologic pain relief strategy that provides greater relaxation for women during labor. The physiological response to water helps improve circulation and eases pressure throughout the body.

“Soaking in a warm tub reduces stress, and the buoyancy lessens a mother’s body weight, allowing her greater movement and new positioning to get comfortable,” Helme Smith said. “Hydrotherapy has also shown that it can provide more efficient uterine contractions and improved blood circulation, which means less pain during labor and more oxygen for the baby.”

Immersion in water also helps lower high blood pressure and increases the mother’s ability to produce endorphins, which serve as pain inhibitors.

“As the mother relaxes physically, she’s also able to relax mentally, and this lets her focus on the birthing process and communicating with our team,” Helme Smith said.

The addition of water immersion therapy is part of a comprehensive midwifery program offered by Women’s Healthcare of Illinois in collaboration with Advocate South Suburban Hospital. While water births are sometimes an extension of hydrotherapy solutions, at this point, hydrotherapy will be used exclusively for pain management.

“We could not be more pleased to work with Women’s Healthcare of Illinois in our joint efforts to ensure that women in our community have the healthiest possible birthing experience,” said Jennifer Doerr, clinical nurse manager at the Women and Infants Center at Advocate South Suburban Hospital. “By promoting shared decision-making, we’re creating solutions that meet the individual needs of the women in our care.”

About Women’s Healthcare of Illinois
Women’s Healthcare of Illinois is devoted to providing comprehensive and exceptional care to meet the individual needs of our patients. We are committed to serving women throughout their life stages from adolescence through adulthood. We offer a full range of medical care for women specializing in general obstetrics and gynecology services, urogynecology, and midwifery services. For more details, visit www.whcillinois.com, call 708-425-1907, or follow Women’s Healthcare of Illinois on Facebook.

About Advocate South Suburban Hospital
Advocate South Suburban Hospital has provided high-quality, compassionate care to the residents of Chicago’s southern suburbs since 1971. Our board-certified physicians have expertise in more than 50 subspecialties. Advocate South Suburban is part of Advocate Aurora Health, the 10th largest not-for-profit, integrated health system in the United States. For more, visit www.advocatehealth.com/ssub/, call 708-799-8000, or follow Advocate South Suburban Hospital on Facebook.

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