Experiences of Women Giving Birth on the Beach Using Virtual Reality

Birth is a normal physiological process, and many women want a natural birth. However, there is worldwide concern over the increasing use of epidural analgesia and other pharmacological pain relief methods for women in labour. This tendency renders birth non-physiological by increasing the use of obstetric interventions with associated risks. Women use a range of non-pharmacological pain relief methods to reduce labour pain intensity, to help manage labour pain and to induce relaxation. The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of women using virtual reality (VR) as a non-pharmacological method of pain relief in labour and to determine whether there was an effect on labour pain intensity. Virtual reality has been shown to be an effective distraction technique in other acute pain settings and also reduces anxiety.