The Effect of Cold Application to the Sacral Area on Labor Comfort:

Purpose: Cold application is considered as an effective alternative treatment for labor comfort because of its low side effects and easy availability. This study aims to determine the effect of cold application to the sacral area in the transition phase of labor on labor comfort.Materials and methods: The study was done as a randomised controlled experimental study. While the women in the experimental group received cold application for 10 minutes every 20 minutes after 8 cm of cervical dilatation, the women in control group received routine care protocol of the unit.

Inclusion Criteria:The inclusion criteria were having a full-term pregnancy (pregnancies between 37th and 42nd weeks),having a single fetus, having a cephalic presentation,fetal weight of 2,5- 4 kg,pregnant women's having normal body mass index and receiving no antenatal trainings,having an 8 cm cervical dilation.Exclusion Criteria:The women who had any kind of pregnancy complications (placenta previa, preeclampsia,premature rupture of membranes, oligohydramnios and polyhydramnios, presentation disorder,intrauterine growth retardation, intrauterine dead fetus,macrosomia babies, fetal distress, etc.),who had any systemic or neurologic diseasescontraction anomalies (hypotonic or hypertonic contractions),who had induced labor,who received narcotic analgesics,who had occiput posterior,who were in the latent and active phases of labor,who had irregular contractions were excluded from the study