June 6, 2025 • 12 mins
The humble washcloth is a powerful, versatile tool that can significantly enhance comfort during labor. With 20 years of doula experience, Angie shares how this simple item becomes an essential element in her birth support toolkit.
• The "wondrous washcloth" is available in all birth settings - hospitals, birth centers, and homes
• Cold washcloths provide cooling relief when laboring bodies heat up
• Creating a basin of ice water allows for rotating frigid washcloths during labor
• Waving damp washcloths creates a fan effect for additional cooling
• Warm washcloths on the perineum during pushing help prepare tissues and minimize tearing
• Washcloths provide excellent texture and traction during back massage and counter-pressure
• Keep multiple washcloths accessible during labor as they tend to get misplaced
• Having wet and dry washcloths ready helps during moments of nausea or vomiting
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Show Credits
Host: Angie Rosier
Music: Michael Hicks
Photographer: Toni Walker
Episode Artwork: Nick Greenwood
Producer: Gillian Rosier Frampton
Voiceover: Ryan Parker
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:10):
Welcome to the Ordinary Doula Podcast with
Angie Rozier, hosted by BirthLearning, where we help prepare
folks for labor and birth withexpertise coming from 20 years
of experience in a busy doulapractice, helping thousands of
people prepare for labor,providing essential knowledge
and tools for positive andempowering birth experiences.
Speaker 2 (00:37):
I'm a dweller, I'm a dweller, I'm a dweller, I'm a
dweller, I'm a dweller, I'm adweller, I'm a dweller, I'm a
dweller, I'm a dweller, I'm adweller, I'm a dweller, I'm a
dweller, I'm a dweller, I'm adweller, I'm a dweller, I'm a
(00:59):
dweller, I'm a dweller, I'm abirth junkie, whether you're a
birth worker, a doula, whateverthat might be.
Hopefully, you find somethingvaluable in the episodes that we
share.
This is something that Iabsolutely love.
Like this takes up a lot of myhead space and my heart space,
and has for years, and it's arole that I'm so honored and
(01:20):
humbled to be able to play inmany people's lives.
So today I want to talk about atool that I absolutely love.
It's very simple, as I thinkabout attending a birth, if I'm
going as a doula, I'm going tothink about what do I want at
that birth, what do I need, whattools do I need for me to be
successful, to have something toshare, something to offer,
(01:43):
whether that's at a birth center, a home birth, a hospital.
This one particular simplelittle tool is something that I
use, I think, at every singleplace.
Some places it's readilyavailable, others we have to
look for it a little bit, butit's there and it's easy and it
can make a big difference,although it's a very simple
thing and you know what that is.
It simply is a washcloth,that's right, just a washcloth.
(02:07):
I call it the wondrouswashcloth and this kind of
struck me a couple of weeks agoas I was at a birth and used a
washcloth extensively and I useit for many different things and
I'll kind of go over that.
So if you're in a hospital,there's going to be linens,
right.
You usually have a stack oflinens in a cupboard or a drawer
in the room.
So go throughout the roomwhether you're the support
(02:30):
person, you know, when you getto your space, like look, look
around, see what's available toyou, there's always a stack of
washcloths and I want to knowabout that, I want to know where
those are and I want to kind ofhave them ready for for what I
need.
If I'm at a birth center,they'll also generally be
washcloths available.
Birth centers have a lesserquantity of those.
They don't have an endlesssupply, but there will be
(02:51):
washcloths available at a birthcenter.
And then home births.
I did a home birth last weekend.
We used washcloths, we had alittle stack of washcloths, and
when I prepare a client for ahome birth, I like to kind of
walk through their house, seewhere their linens are, their
towels, their washcloths, seehow many they have, what they'd
like us to use.
I like to kind of see what'savailable to us.
(03:11):
But the Wonders washcloth is oneof my favorite tools that I use
in a lot of ways.
So many times I use it kind ofmaybe towards the end of labor.
So one of the reasons or one ofthe great things that can be
used for is it can takedifferent temperatures.
Right, we can take thatwashcloth, we can make it cold,
we can make it warm.
So very, very often towards theend, people in labor are going
(03:35):
to warm up.
They just kind of heat up overtime as they're working and
working hard, and that's areally quick and a good cooling
system.
So many hospitals and placesand people bring their own to
might have a fan, a small fan orsomething, but I find that the
washcloth is a really greatcooling element as well.
Now, ideally I hope to have abowl or a basin full of ice
(03:59):
water, mostly ice.
Sometimes I just do that likein a graduated cylinder.
If that's all we have at thespace.
Sometimes I'll do it in a cuplike a styrofoam or a plastic
cup, but ideally I'm going tohave a basin of icy, icy water
and I'll put like four or fivewashcloths in that and I can
pull them out and they arefrigid, cold and you know what,
(04:25):
sometimes that feels so amazing.
What I'll often do is and Iwarn the mom before I'm going to
do this, you know I'm going tosay, hey, here's some cold on
your neck.
And if it's really cold I mightsay that, hey, really cold.
And some people are like, oh mygosh, that feels so good.
Or hey, here's some cold onyour forehead.
So watch for signs of heat,right, like that they're working
hard.
And also this is such a simplelittle distraction, like we have
(04:46):
a major temperature change on avery acute point I usually do
forehead or neck.
Sometimes I'll place a cold,cold washcloth right in the
mom's hands Like here hold thiscold washcloth and she might
start kneading it and workingwith it.
And of course, wherever we puta washcloth on a warm body,
especially a working warm body,it's going to warm up right.
So that's why I like that icecold washcloth basin where I'm
(05:10):
going to keep that ice waternext to me or within reach is
there.
Now, if you don't have that,that's okay, you can just wet it
with water, just hopefully coldwater.
There's been some incidenceswhere I haven't had very much
cold water.
It's kind of been like lukewarm.
So you can still wet it withany kind of moisture, hopefully
cold water from a tap orsomething, and then just kind of
(05:31):
wave it in the air and I kindof I wring it out enough so that
I'm not like, as I wave it, I'mnot like flinging water
droplets throughout the room.
Some people like that, somepeople are irritated by that,
but I might just wave it righton the mom.
So I'll hold two corners of itand just roll it like through
the air so it rolls up on itselfand then go the opposite
direction and roll back.
(05:52):
So what you're creating is alittle fan, and so many people
happened to last week.
People like, oh my gosh, thatfeels good, I love that air.
So you can create a fan if youdon't have one.
That action of kind of rollingit like gosh, what I can see, to
my mind it's hard to describeverbally take the corners and
just kind of wrap it arounditself.
(06:12):
What would we call that Windingit and fanning it.
That also cools a washcloth.
So if you don't have a coldwashcloth, it's just like the
airflow is going to cool thatwashcloth.
So you have now a coldwashcloth to place on the mom.
I will oftentimes have two at mydisposal at all times and I'll
hang them kind of.
If I'm at a hospital I'll hangthem on the little bed.
(06:33):
The bed railings are kind oflike a little handle so I'll
hang them there so they're nearthe top of the bed, near the
mom's head.
If we're on the bed, whetherwe're on hands and knees,
whether we're pushing and thisis a very great pushing tool
Just have wet washcloth nearby.
We can also use washcloths forheat right, so we can get warm
water.
I've been in hospitals wherewe'll get like a coffee pot and
(06:55):
we pour hot water from thecoffee pot also into a small
basin or cup or something andwarm those washcloths up so
these can be used.
I usually use a stack of four onthe perineum shortly before
pushing or during pushing for awarm compress.
Now, sometimes the nurse willdo that, sometimes the doctor or
the midwife will do that.
Sometimes I've been asked to dothat, but that's something you
(07:17):
can have available for whoeveron the birth team.
Sometimes the dad will do itthat as they're pushing, you can
do a warm washcloth on theperineum.
So this has a couple of coolpurposes as well.
It can again a sensation change, right.
So we're doing a sensationchange for those without an
epidural now.
Uh, with now those people withan epidural, we want to be
(07:39):
cautious about the temperatureof the washcloth, even those
without right.
We don't want to burn anyone inthis sensitive area, of course,
um, but that heat, that warmthin the area can feel very good
and distracting.
It's another just um, simpletemperature distraction that
we're doing.
It helps the tissue becomemoist.
The temperature helps itprepare to stretch, so that can
(08:02):
sometimes minimize the incidenceof tissue separation at
delivery.
So that's another great toolfor the washcloth.
Another thing I like to do withthe washcloth is have it be a
texture.
So a lot of times doulas, likeI don't know if other doulas,
but our hands, are veryimportant tools.
We're doing a lot of hands-onsupport, comfort techniques.
(08:24):
We might be I'm oftentimes onthe lower back or the pelvis
area doing some pretty goodmassage or movement, counter
pressure, and a washcloth can beused for texture, for that.
Sometimes I wouldn't say theskin gets too slippery, but or
sometimes we're on a gown.
But sometimes putting thatwashcloth damp washcloth right
(08:46):
on the skin gives you some goodlike traction on the skin also
is a good sensation for the theperson receiving it.
It's just it's kind of a nicetexture to be working on with
their back.
Also can be cooled, can bewarmed.
It's going to warm up over time.
I was at a birth a couple weeksago and this was a very physical
(09:08):
birth.
Like the support we were givingwas incredibly physical.
I had a great arm workout thatday and used washcloths on this
mom's lower back and hips as wewere working her hips and moving
her hips.
She actually is a massagetherapist and, um, and I've been
to her, uh, her massage.
She owns a massage school andI've been there for some
(09:28):
massages and they do great work.
So it's kind of a.
It's interesting when you'reworking on a massage therapist,
um, but that was something shereally enjoyed was the, the
texture of the washcloth, justsomething to change it up a
little bit and give you a littlebit of traction.
So I'm just calling it thewondrous washcloth.
There's a lot of different usesfor this.
Also, another side use is Ilike to have those handy because
(09:52):
if people vomit like they getnauseous, they get sick and at
some point during laborthey're're gonna want something
to wipe their mouth with veryquickly.
So have something ready andhandy I can use.
You can use like a paper towelor something.
I like to have a wet one and adry one if I can.
But a washcloth is softer, it'sjust more soft, and then, of
course, we get rid of that one.
But, like I said, we'll gothrough.
(10:14):
I'll have like just washclothsaround the room.
Sometimes they get lost in thebed, sometimes they fall on the
floor and we need to replacethem.
That's why I like to haveseveral of them available.
But this is a really simple,important tool that you can use
during labor.
So look around, see what youhave, what tools you have, and
you may find that a washcloth isa really powerful, simple,
important tool that you can usein labor.
(10:35):
Hopefully that gives you somelittle tips, some things you can
work on.
I am glad you've been able tospend some time with us today.
Hopefully you are preparing forsome great things ahead in your
life Going into birth, feelingempowered, feeling prepared,
feeling you have things that youcan do right, like when we can,
(10:55):
when we know what to do and weknow what to expect.
That's a very empoweringsituation to be in.
Thanks for joining us today.
I hope you have a wonderful dayand again, as always, please
reach out to someone, make ahuman connection, whether by
touch, by contact, by eyecontact someone you know,
someone you don't.
Maybe it's reaching outelectronically over social media
or messaging.
Please reach out to someone tomake an important human contact
(11:18):
today.
Hope you have a good one andwe'll see you next time.
Speaker 1 (11:36):
Thank you for listening to the Ordinary Doula
podcast with Angie Rozier,hosted by Birth Learning.
Episode credits will be in theshow notes Tune in next time as
we continue to explore the manyaspects of giving birth.
Thank you.
Welcome to the Ordinary Doula Podcast with
Angie Rozier, hosted by BirthLearning, where we help prepare
folks for labor and birth withexpertise coming from 20 years
of experience in a busy doulapractice, helping thousands of
people prepare for labor,providing essential knowledge
and tools for positive andempowering birth experiences.
Speaker 2 (00:37):
I'm a dweller, I'm a dweller, I'm a dweller, I'm a
dweller, I'm a dweller, I'm adweller, I'm a dweller, I'm a
dweller, I'm a dweller, I'm adweller, I'm a dweller, I'm a
dweller, I'm a dweller, I'm adweller, I'm a dweller, I'm a
(00:59):
dweller, I'm a dweller, I'm abirth junkie, whether you're a
birth worker, a doula, whateverthat might be.
Hopefully, you find somethingvaluable in the episodes that we
share.
This is something that Iabsolutely love.
Like this takes up a lot of myhead space and my heart space,
and has for years, and it's arole that I'm so honored and
(01:20):
humbled to be able to play inmany people's lives.
So today I want to talk about atool that I absolutely love.
It's very simple, as I thinkabout attending a birth, if I'm
going as a doula, I'm going tothink about what do I want at
that birth, what do I need, whattools do I need for me to be
successful, to have something toshare, something to offer,
(01:43):
whether that's at a birth center, a home birth, a hospital.
This one particular simplelittle tool is something that I
use, I think, at every singleplace.
Some places it's readilyavailable, others we have to
look for it a little bit, butit's there and it's easy and it
can make a big difference,although it's a very simple
thing and you know what that is.
It simply is a washcloth,that's right, just a washcloth.
(02:07):
I call it the wondrouswashcloth and this kind of
struck me a couple of weeks agoas I was at a birth and used a
washcloth extensively and I useit for many different things and
I'll kind of go over that.
So if you're in a hospital,there's going to be linens,
right.
You usually have a stack oflinens in a cupboard or a drawer
in the room.
So go throughout the roomwhether you're the support
(02:30):
person, you know, when you getto your space, like look, look
around, see what's available toyou, there's always a stack of
washcloths and I want to knowabout that, I want to know where
those are and I want to kind ofhave them ready for for what I
need.
If I'm at a birth center,they'll also generally be
washcloths available.
Birth centers have a lesserquantity of those.
They don't have an endlesssupply, but there will be
(02:51):
washcloths available at a birthcenter.
And then home births.
I did a home birth last weekend.
We used washcloths, we had alittle stack of washcloths, and
when I prepare a client for ahome birth, I like to kind of
walk through their house, seewhere their linens are, their
towels, their washcloths, seehow many they have, what they'd
like us to use.
I like to kind of see what'savailable to us.
(03:11):
But the Wonders washcloth is oneof my favorite tools that I use
in a lot of ways.
So many times I use it kind ofmaybe towards the end of labor.
So one of the reasons or one ofthe great things that can be
used for is it can takedifferent temperatures.
Right, we can take thatwashcloth, we can make it cold,
we can make it warm.
So very, very often towards theend, people in labor are going
(03:35):
to warm up.
They just kind of heat up overtime as they're working and
working hard, and that's areally quick and a good cooling
system.
So many hospitals and placesand people bring their own to
might have a fan, a small fan orsomething, but I find that the
washcloth is a really greatcooling element as well.
Now, ideally I hope to have abowl or a basin full of ice
(03:59):
water, mostly ice.
Sometimes I just do that likein a graduated cylinder.
If that's all we have at thespace.
Sometimes I'll do it in a cuplike a styrofoam or a plastic
cup, but ideally I'm going tohave a basin of icy, icy water
and I'll put like four or fivewashcloths in that and I can
pull them out and they arefrigid, cold and you know what,
(04:25):
sometimes that feels so amazing.
What I'll often do is and Iwarn the mom before I'm going to
do this, you know I'm going tosay, hey, here's some cold on
your neck.
And if it's really cold I mightsay that, hey, really cold.
And some people are like, oh mygosh, that feels so good.
Or hey, here's some cold onyour forehead.
So watch for signs of heat,right, like that they're working
hard.
And also this is such a simplelittle distraction, like we have
(04:46):
a major temperature change on avery acute point I usually do
forehead or neck.
Sometimes I'll place a cold,cold washcloth right in the
mom's hands Like here hold thiscold washcloth and she might
start kneading it and workingwith it.
And of course, wherever we puta washcloth on a warm body,
especially a working warm body,it's going to warm up right.
So that's why I like that icecold washcloth basin where I'm
(05:10):
going to keep that ice waternext to me or within reach is
there.
Now, if you don't have that,that's okay, you can just wet it
with water, just hopefully coldwater.
There's been some incidenceswhere I haven't had very much
cold water.
It's kind of been like lukewarm.
So you can still wet it withany kind of moisture, hopefully
cold water from a tap orsomething, and then just kind of
(05:31):
wave it in the air and I kindof I wring it out enough so that
I'm not like, as I wave it, I'mnot like flinging water
droplets throughout the room.
Some people like that, somepeople are irritated by that,
but I might just wave it righton the mom.
So I'll hold two corners of itand just roll it like through
the air so it rolls up on itselfand then go the opposite
direction and roll back.
(05:52):
So what you're creating is alittle fan, and so many people
happened to last week.
People like, oh my gosh, thatfeels good, I love that air.
So you can create a fan if youdon't have one.
That action of kind of rollingit like gosh, what I can see, to
my mind it's hard to describeverbally take the corners and
just kind of wrap it arounditself.
(06:12):
What would we call that Windingit and fanning it.
That also cools a washcloth.
So if you don't have a coldwashcloth, it's just like the
airflow is going to cool thatwashcloth.
So you have now a coldwashcloth to place on the mom.
I will oftentimes have two at mydisposal at all times and I'll
hang them kind of.
If I'm at a hospital I'll hangthem on the little bed.
(06:33):
The bed railings are kind oflike a little handle so I'll
hang them there so they're nearthe top of the bed, near the
mom's head.
If we're on the bed, whetherwe're on hands and knees,
whether we're pushing and thisis a very great pushing tool
Just have wet washcloth nearby.
We can also use washcloths forheat right, so we can get warm
water.
I've been in hospitals wherewe'll get like a coffee pot and
(06:55):
we pour hot water from thecoffee pot also into a small
basin or cup or something andwarm those washcloths up so
these can be used.
I usually use a stack of four onthe perineum shortly before
pushing or during pushing for awarm compress.
Now, sometimes the nurse willdo that, sometimes the doctor or
the midwife will do that.
Sometimes I've been asked to dothat, but that's something you
(07:17):
can have available for whoeveron the birth team.
Sometimes the dad will do itthat as they're pushing, you can
do a warm washcloth on theperineum.
So this has a couple of coolpurposes as well.
It can again a sensation change, right.
So we're doing a sensationchange for those without an
epidural now.
Uh, with now those people withan epidural, we want to be
(07:39):
cautious about the temperatureof the washcloth, even those
without right.
We don't want to burn anyone inthis sensitive area, of course,
um, but that heat, that warmthin the area can feel very good
and distracting.
It's another just um, simpletemperature distraction that
we're doing.
It helps the tissue becomemoist.
The temperature helps itprepare to stretch, so that can
(08:02):
sometimes minimize the incidenceof tissue separation at
delivery.
So that's another great toolfor the washcloth.
Another thing I like to do withthe washcloth is have it be a
texture.
So a lot of times doulas, likeI don't know if other doulas,
but our hands, are veryimportant tools.
We're doing a lot of hands-onsupport, comfort techniques.
(08:24):
We might be I'm oftentimes onthe lower back or the pelvis
area doing some pretty goodmassage or movement, counter
pressure, and a washcloth can beused for texture, for that.
Sometimes I wouldn't say theskin gets too slippery, but or
sometimes we're on a gown.
But sometimes putting thatwashcloth damp washcloth right
(08:46):
on the skin gives you some goodlike traction on the skin also
is a good sensation for the theperson receiving it.
It's just it's kind of a nicetexture to be working on with
their back.
Also can be cooled, can bewarmed.
It's going to warm up over time.
I was at a birth a couple weeksago and this was a very physical
(09:08):
birth.
Like the support we were givingwas incredibly physical.
I had a great arm workout thatday and used washcloths on this
mom's lower back and hips as wewere working her hips and moving
her hips.
She actually is a massagetherapist and, um, and I've been
to her, uh, her massage.
She owns a massage school andI've been there for some
(09:28):
massages and they do great work.
So it's kind of a.
It's interesting when you'reworking on a massage therapist,
um, but that was something shereally enjoyed was the, the
texture of the washcloth, justsomething to change it up a
little bit and give you a littlebit of traction.
So I'm just calling it thewondrous washcloth.
There's a lot of different usesfor this.
Also, another side use is Ilike to have those handy because
(09:52):
if people vomit like they getnauseous, they get sick and at
some point during laborthey're're gonna want something
to wipe their mouth with veryquickly.
So have something ready andhandy I can use.
You can use like a paper towelor something.
I like to have a wet one and adry one if I can.
But a washcloth is softer, it'sjust more soft, and then, of
course, we get rid of that one.
But, like I said, we'll gothrough.
(10:14):
I'll have like just washclothsaround the room.
Sometimes they get lost in thebed, sometimes they fall on the
floor and we need to replacethem.
That's why I like to haveseveral of them available.
But this is a really simple,important tool that you can use
during labor.
So look around, see what youhave, what tools you have, and
you may find that a washcloth isa really powerful, simple,
important tool that you can usein labor.
(10:35):
Hopefully that gives you somelittle tips, some things you can
work on.
I am glad you've been able tospend some time with us today.
Hopefully you are preparing forsome great things ahead in your
life Going into birth, feelingempowered, feeling prepared,
feeling you have things that youcan do right, like when we can,
(10:55):
when we know what to do and weknow what to expect.
That's a very empoweringsituation to be in.
Thanks for joining us today.
I hope you have a wonderful dayand again, as always, please
reach out to someone, make ahuman connection, whether by
touch, by contact, by eyecontact someone you know,
someone you don't.
Maybe it's reaching outelectronically over social media
or messaging.
Please reach out to someone tomake an important human contact
(11:18):
today.
Hope you have a good one andwe'll see you next time.
Speaker 1 (11:36):
Thank you for listening to the Ordinary Doula
podcast with Angie Rozier,hosted by Birth Learning.
Episode credits will be in theshow notes Tune in next time as
we continue to explore the manyaspects of giving birth.
Thank you.
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