New Banner Del E. Webb Medical Center heated tubs allows mothers to have a more relaxing labor and delivery
Contact: media@bannerhealth.com
SUN CITY WEST, Ariz. (June 5, 2018) – Imagine being able to relax in a warm tub of water, feeling less weight and discomfort than you have in months, as you prepare to give birth to your child.
New mothers who deliver at Banner Del E. Webb Medical Center are now able to use AquaDoula tubs, portable tubs filled with water that is kept at around 98 degrees.
The Women and Infants Services department, which delivers more than 1,800 infants per year, introduced two of the pools in late April. Based on their immediate popularity, Banner Del E. Webb ordered one more to add to their supply.
“We have moms who have already asked for them,’’ said Megan Parsons, director of the hospital’s Women and Infants Services department. “It can be so comforting to them, so relaxing. It can really help them during those hours of active labor.’’
Not only can the warm water relax muscles and reduce pain, it can also help produce hormones that aid in labor and reduce stress.
Unlike other birthing tubs, the AquaDoula is large enough for a pregnant woman to move around in and it is kept at a steady temperature so the water doesn’t cool off.
For Mylinda Joy, of Glendale, the tub made a huge difference in the delivery of her fourth child, Hannah.
“When I heard about it, I wondered what the big deal was,” she said. “But then I saw it and saw how deep it was and how much freedom of movement it offered. I thought ‘Wow’.’’
“I think it cut the intensity of my labor by half,” said Joy, who labored for four hours before delivering Hannah, who weighed in at 9 pounds, 15 ounces and was 22 inches long. Joy said Hannah was the easiest delivery of her four pregnancies.
About Banner Del E. Webb Medical Center
Banner Del E. Webb Medical Center is a community hospital in Sun City West, Arizona. The hospital specializes in orthopedic surgery, heart care, emergency care, cancer care, and obstetrics. Banner Del E. Webb is part of Banner Health, a nonprofit health care system with 28 hospitals in six states. Supporting Banner Del E. Webb’s mission of excellent patient care is Sun Health Foundation, which encourages charitable giving to enhance health care delivery. For more information, visit www.BannerHealth.com/Webb.