92. Quick, Boil Water

Remember those movies with an impending birth and a subsequent command to "boil water?" Most of us thought that had something to do with sterile technique. And that's the answer given in most Google responses to the question (either that or as an excuse to send away a nervous father to be)

But the practice existed long before germ theory. Hot compresses accelerate the normal labor processes in which the skin becomes more elastic, which makes deliveries faster and easier for both baby and mom.

Recent research concluded that "the use of warm compresses on the perineum duiring the second stage of labor [the "pushing" stage] is associated with a decreased incidence of perineal trauma," which of course confirms what midwives have been doing for eons.

But in classic "unintended consequences" fashion, the sinks in our delivery rooms don't have bacteria-laden hot/cold controls, it's all motion activated, so never has a chance to warm up. We'd have to go down the hall, around the corner, to get hot water (which is not that hot anyway, again for safety reasons), so evidence and tradition notwithstanding, one rarely sees hot compresses used.