{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,13]],"date-time":"2026-10-13T21:19:54Z","timestamp":1791926394525,"version":"4.3.4"},"reference-count":28,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"17","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2023,8,28]],"date-time":"2023-08-28T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1693180800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["JCM"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: Hydrotherapy is a technique used for pain management during labour, but its safety for both the mother and foetus remains uncertain. Objective: The main aim of this study is to determine whether the use of hydrotherapy in the first stage of labour is safe for both the mother and newborn. Methods: A retrospective observational study was conducted to collect data from the partogram, maternal and neonatal history. Results: A total of 377 women who gave birth at the Costa del Sol Hospital in Malaga between January 2010 and December 2020 were randomly selected. They were divided into a control group (253 women) and an intervention group (124 women) that used hydrotherapy in the first stage of labour. There were no significant differences between the groups in terms of age, history of previous miscarriages, type of delivery, or newborn weight. The results showed that most women who opted for hydrotherapy were nulliparous, and the use of hydrotherapy during labour was safe for both the mother and foetus. There were no significant differences in the variables of maternal arterial hypotension, postpartum haemorrhage, postpartum maternal fever, foetal complications, neonatal admission, 1 and 5 min Apgar scores, umbilical arterial or venous pH, or foetal cardiotocographic recording. However, there was a significant difference (p = 0.005) in the rate of breastfeeding among mothers who opted for hydrotherapy (96% vs. 85.7%). Conclusions: The use of hydrotherapy during the first stage of labour is safe and is associated with increased breastfeeding rates compared to conventional delivery.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/jcm12175617","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2023,8,29]],"date-time":"2023-08-29T08:51:14Z","timestamp":1693299074000},"page":"5617","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":8,"title":["Safety and Effect of the Use of Hydrotherapy during Labour: A Retrospective Observational Study"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"12","author":[{"given":"Elena","family":"Mellado-Garc\u00eda","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Research Group CTS-1068, Andalusia Research Plan, Junta de Andaluc\u00eda, 18014 Granada, Spain"},{"name":"Costa del Sol Health District, 29640 Fuengirola, Spain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7906-5656","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Lourdes","family":"D\u00edaz-Rodr\u00edguez","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Research Group CTS-1068, Andalusia Research Plan, Junta de Andaluc\u00eda, 18014 Granada, Spain"},{"name":"Department of Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Granada, 18016 Granada, Spain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4019-8555","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jonathan","family":"Cort\u00e9s-Mart\u00edn","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Research Group CTS-1068, Andalusia Research Plan, Junta de Andaluc\u00eda, 18014 Granada, Spain"},{"name":"Department of Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Granada, 18016 Granada, Spain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4650-2159","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Juan Carlos","family":"S\u00e1nchez-Garc\u00eda","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Research Group CTS-1068, Andalusia Research Plan, Junta de Andaluc\u00eda, 18014 Granada, Spain"},{"name":"Department of Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Granada, 18016 Granada, Spain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Beatriz","family":"Piqueras-Sola","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Research Group CTS-1068, Andalusia Research Plan, Junta de Andaluc\u00eda, 18014 Granada, Spain"},{"name":"Virgen de las Nieves University Hospital, 18014 Granada, Spain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2086-1222","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Raquel","family":"Rodr\u00edguez-Blanque","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Research Group CTS-1068, Andalusia Research Plan, Junta de Andaluc\u00eda, 18014 Granada, Spain"},{"name":"Department of Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Granada, 18016 Granada, Spain"},{"name":"San Cecilio University Hospital, 18016 Granada, Spain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2023,8,28]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","first-page":"CD000111","article-title":"Immersion in water during labour and birth","volume":"2018","author":"Cluett","year":"2018","journal-title":"Cochrane Database Syst. 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