Experience of pain and analgesia with water and land births.

Labor is one of the most painful experiences in a woman's life. Does water birth influence the pain experienced? Data from an ongoing, longitudinal, prospective observational study that spans 9 years and includes questionnaires from 12,040 births were used to evaluate pain perception (visual analogue scale (VAS)) and analgesic use. Three birthing methods were compared: water birth, bed birth and Maia stool birth.

Waterbirths compared with landbirths: an observational study of nine years.

Aims: This study compares neonatal and maternal morbidity and mortality between waterbirths and landbirths (spontaneous singleton births in cephalic presentation, vacuum extractions are excluded).

Methods: In this observational study covering nine years, standardized questionnaires were used to document 9,518 spontaneous singleton cephalic presentation births, of which 3,617 were waterbirths and 5,901 landbirths.

Results: Landbirths show higher rates of episiotomies as well as third and fourth degree perineal lacerations.

Long-term assessment of lung function in survivors of severe ARDS.

Study Objectives: To investigate the long-term outcome of lung function in survivors of severe ARDS after modern treatment strategies including lung protective mechanical ventilation and prone positioning maneuvers.

Design: Follow-up cohort study.

Setting: University hospital pulmonary division and level 1 trauma center.