Comfort Measures

The laboring woman’s perception of labor events and her response is a priority concern for healthcare professionals. Labor
management to include the promotion of comfort measures must be available to all laboring women within an evidence based practice. All practice that facilitates comfort measures as non-medical therapies should be deeply seeded in sound scientific knowledge. Risk factors for application or ingestion of chemicals or herbal products are unwelcome in an evidence-based practice setting. In keeping with a family-centered maternity care philosophy, and in recognition of the client-centered bill of rights, healthcare organizations support the utilization of comfort measures in labor. It is recognized that they contribute to a holistic approach to care. Informed decision-making is magnified as a focal point in childbirth education programs. Supplementing a woman’s knowledge and understanding of the importance of comfort measures in labor is pivotal role for the
Childbirth Educator (ICEA, 2013; Simkin, 2007).