Warm tub bath during labor. Effects on plasma catecholamine and beta-endorphin-like immunoreactivity concentrations in the infants at birth.

In this study 13 women bathed in a warm tub bath during the first stage labor after a strictly normal pregnancy. The control group consisted of 9 women who did not want warm tub bath. Apgar scores at 1 and 5 minutes were recorded and plasma adrenalin, noradrenalin were measured in umbilical arterial blood at birth, together with pH, pCO2 and base excess and beta-endorphin-like immunoreactivity in umbilical venous blood. No differences were found between the groups. No beneficial effect was found on infant condition of a warm tub bath during labor.