{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,8]],"date-time":"2026-10-08T16:26:14Z","timestamp":1791476774991,"version":"4.3.4"},"reference-count":36,"publisher":"Public Library of Science (PLoS)","issue":"6","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2024,6,12]],"date-time":"2024-06-12T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1718150400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.plosone.org"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["PLoS ONE"],"abstract":"<jats:sec id=\"sec001\">\n<jats:title>Introduction<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>Birth is a normal physiological process, and many women want a natural birth. Women use a range of non-pharmacological pain relief methods to reduce labour pain intensity, to help manage labour pain and to induce relaxation. The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of women using Virtual Reality as a non-pharmacological method of pain relief in labour. Virtual Reality has been shown to be an effective distraction technique in other acute pain settings which also reduces anxiety.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec id=\"sec002\">\n<jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>This study conducted qualitative in-depth interviews postnatally with women who used Virtual Reality in labour. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the qualitative data.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec id=\"sec003\">\n<jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>Nineteen women used Virtual Reality in labour. Results from interviews with nineteen women in the postnatal period identified three main themes: impact of virtual reality on experience of labour, managing the pain of labour and challenges of using virtual reality in labour.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec id=\"sec004\">\n<jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>This study identified that Virtual Reality was effective as a relaxation technique and helped in pain management by the use of self-efficacy techniques. Women in this study also identified preferred virtual environments specifically to use during labour and birth. This study provides a unique and original contribution to the field of Virtual Reality in labour and birth. It also identifies Virtual Reality as an acceptable and positive experience in the management of anxiety and labour pain.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0304349","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,6,12]],"date-time":"2024-06-12T17:31:45Z","timestamp":1718213505000},"page":"e0304349","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.corrections_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":5,"title":["\u2018Giving birth on a beach\u2019: Women\u2019s experiences of using virtual reality in labour"],"prefix":"10.1371","volume":"19","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0137-2012","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Lorna","family":"Massov","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Brian","family":"Robinson","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Edgar","family":"Rodriguez-Ramirez","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0749-6542","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Robyn","family":"Maude","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"340","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2024,6,12]]},"reference":[{"key":"pone.0304349.ref001","first-page":"579","article-title":"Severity of labour pain: influence of physical as well as psychologic variables","volume":"130","author":"R Melzack","year":"1984","journal-title":"Can Med Assoc J"},{"issue":"157","key":"pone.0304349.ref002","first-page":"1","article-title":"The meaning of labour pain: how the social environment and other contextual factors shape women\u2019s experiences","volume":"17","author":"LY Whitburn","year":"2017","journal-title":"BMC Pregnancy Birth"},{"issue":"1","key":"pone.0304349.ref003","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"28","DOI":"10.1016\/j.wombi.2018.03.004","article-title":"The nature of labour pain: An updated review of the literature","volume":"32","author":"LY Whitburn","year":"2019","journal-title":"Women and Birth"},{"issue":"251","key":"pone.0304349.ref004","first-page":"1","article-title":"The meaning of a very positive birth experience: focus groups discussions with women","volume":"15","author":"A Karlstr\u00f6m","year":"2015","journal-title":"BMC Pregnancy Childbirth"},{"key":"pone.0304349.ref005","first-page":"255","article-title":"Women\u2019s anticipation and experience of childbirth: The independence of fulfilment, unpleasantness and pain","volume":"63","author":"P Salmon","year":"1990","journal-title":"Br J Med Physiol"},{"issue":"5","key":"pone.0304349.ref006","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"S160","DOI":"10.1016\/S0002-9378(02)70189-0","article-title":"Pain and women\u2019s satisfaction with the experience of childbirth: A systematic review","volume":"186","author":"E Hodnett","year":"2002","journal-title":"Am J Obstet Gynaecol"},{"key":"pone.0304349.ref007","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"74","DOI":"10.1016\/j.srhc.2014.10.001","article-title":"Women\u2019s preferences and received pain relief in childbirth\u2014A prospective longitudinal study in a northern region of Sweden","volume":"6","author":"A Lindholm","year":"2015","journal-title":"Sex Reprod Healthc"},{"issue":"71","key":"pone.0304349.ref008","first-page":"1","article-title":"Women\u2019s experiences of pharmacological and non-pharmacological pain relief methods for labour and childbirth: a qualitative systematic review","volume":"16","author":"G Thomson","year":"2019","journal-title":"Reprod Health"},{"issue":"2","key":"pone.0304349.ref009","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"147","DOI":"10.2217\/pmt.10.15","article-title":"Virtual Reality and pain management: current trends and future directions","volume":"1","author":"A Li","year":"2011","journal-title":"Pain Manag"},{"key":"pone.0304349.ref010","unstructured":"Balinson J. 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