Sensory rooms

As part of our research we visited a Multi-sensory (Snoezelen) room. These rooms are designed to deliver stimuli to various senses, using lighting effects, color, sounds, music, scents, etc.

They are usually used for children with learning difficulties and autism, but some research has recently been done on the use of Snoezelen rooms to give birth in.

This was a qualitative study, with in depth interviews of sixteen women that used Snoezelen rooms to give birth in.

The findings of the study found six themes from the data which providing insight into what a Snoezelen environment can offer a labouring woman: distraction; relaxation; comfort; environmental control; choice of complementary therapies; and safety in a home-like atmosphere.

Additional categories revealed factors that facilitated and/or detracted use of the room such as familiarity with features, being offered information and choice, timing in labour, the support person's response and working order of the room's features.

Reference

Women's experiences of using a Snoezelen room during labour in Western Australia,
Yvonne Hauck, Catherine Rivers, Kathleen Doherty, MidwiferyVolume 24, Issue 4, December 2008, Pages 460-470