Labor and Delivery Pain Relief Use of Heat for Comfort and Pain Relief During Labor By Robin Elise Weiss, PhD, MPH Robin Elise Weiss, PhD, MPH LinkedIn Twitter Robin Elise Weiss, PhD, MPH is a professor, author, childbirth and postpartum educator, certified doula, and lactation counselor. Learn about our editorial process Updated on June 14, 2021 Medically reviewed by Leigh Raviv, WHNP-BC Medically reviewed by Leigh Raviv, WHNP-BC Leigh Raviv, WHNP-BC, is a women’s health nurse practitioner serving women in New York City. She has dedicated her career to providing gynecologic and reproductive health care across the lifespan, with a special interest in adolescents and young adults. Learn about our Medical Review Board Print Cultura / Getty Images The use of heat for comfort in labor is not new, though most hospitals do not have ready access to sources of heat. The most common type of heat is a heating pad, water bottle, or rice sock. With the exception of an electric heating pad, most options actually lose heat as they go, meaning that while they need to be reheated, they are safe to sleep with. Heat is great for helping you relax. Heat can be used for pain in a specific location, like a tight muscle, or it might be just used generally to help you relax, such as a warmed blanket or a warm tub or shower. You need to figure out what works for you at the moment, but you might already have a good idea from your everyday life. If you are a big fan of a heating pad or other source of warmth, this might be a great thing to add to your birth plan. Using a Heating Pad During Labor Heat can be used at any point in labor or even for comfort at the end of pregnancy, except on areas numbed from an epidural or if you have a fever. Common places to put heat sources include: Back: If you are experiencing back labor, using a heat source can feel better and relieve your pain. You can also use this in conjunction with cold, alternating them for even better pain relief. Neck: Using warm compresses on the neck is something that many people use to help them relax. There is no greater time that you need relaxation than in labor. Pubic bone: You might feel a lot of tightness or pressure at your pubic bone. This is particularly true if you've experienced symphysis pubis dysfunction (SPD) in pregnancy. Heat can help you relax and increase your mobility. Keeping Warm During Labor Sometimes you may get chills in labor. Heat can help warm you in labor and reduce feeling chilly. Simply take your heating pad or rice sock and cuddle up with it, wherever it feels best. Hospitals may also be able to offer you heated blankets for full-body coverage. Remember to test the heat source with your hand. You may need to wrap it with a towel or two to avoid burning your skin and to make it more comfortable to the touch. If you don't have access to a rice sock or heating pad, you can also use a warm blanket or a warm shower or bath. Coping Tips for Each Stage of Labor When Not to Use Heat The good news is that experts don't believe that there is risk associated with using heat in labor as far as labor progress or fetal monitoring. There have not been many studies on the topic specifically, though a very small study showed it was not problematic. Do not use heat or cold on skin that does not have a feeling, such as areas that are numbed from an epidural. This can cause you to burn yourself accidentally. It is important to be very careful using any source of heat if you have an epidural. In addition to being a burn risk on numbed skin, it can also cause you to overheat since epidural changes how your body dissipates heat. The same warning goes for a person with a fever in labor—heat may not be appropriate. 9 Sources Verywell Family uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. Kennedy B. Intrapartum Management Modules. LWW, 2016. Stanford Children’s Health. Overview of labor. Leifer G. Introduction to Maternity and Pediatric Nursing (8th Edition). Elsevier, 2018. Murray SM, McKinney ES. Foundations of Maternal-Newborn and Women’s Health Nursing (6th Edition). Elsevier, 2016. Committee Opinion: Immersion in water during labor and delivery. American College of Obstetrics and Gynecologists. 2016. Yazdkhasti M, Hanjani SM, Tourzani ZM. The effect of localized heat and cold therapy on pain intensity, duration of phases of labor, and birth outcomes among primiparous females: A randomized, controlled trial. Shiraz E-Medical Journal. 2018;19(8):e65501. doi:10.5812/semj.65501 Ganji Z, Shirvani MA, Rezaei-Ahari F, Danesh M. The effect of intermittent local heat and cold on labor pain and child birth outcome. Iran J Nurs Midwifery Res. 2013;18(4):298-303. Simkin P. Pregnancy, Childbirth, and the Newborn (5th Edition). Da Capo Press, 2016. Murray SM, McKinney ES, et al. Foundations of Maternal-Newborn and Women’s Health Nursing (7th Edition). Elsevier, 2019. Additional Reading Eckert K, Turnbull D, MacLennan A. Immersion in water in the first stage of labor: A randomized controlled trial. Birth. 2001;28(2):84-93. doi:10.1046/j.1523-536x.2001.00084.x Khamis Y, Shaala S, Damarawy H, Romia A, Toppozada M. Effect of heat on uterine contractions during normal labor. Int J Gynaecol Obstet. 1983;21(6):491-3. doi:10.1016/0020-7292(83)90041-3 Simkin P, Ancheta R. The Labor Progress Handbook, 3rd edition. Wiley-Blackwell, 2011. By Robin Elise Weiss, PhD, MPH Robin Elise Weiss, PhD, MPH is a professor, author, childbirth and postpartum educator, certified doula, and lactation counselor. See Our Editorial Process Meet Our Review Board Share Feedback Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! What is your feedback? Other Helpful Report an Error Submit