An investigation of the phenomenon of immediate postpartum chilling

The purpose of this investigation was to determine the incidence of immediate postpartum chilling and to identify those factors associated with the phenomenon. Immediate postpartum chilling was defined as generalized involuntary muscular shaking occurring within the first hour following delivery. An attempt was made to more clearly define the phenomenon by characterizing the physical signs associated with postpartum chilling, to correlate factors during labor and delivery which may lead to postpartum chilling, and to describe the parturient that is most likely to experience a postpartum chill. All women having vaginal delivers during a 3-week period at a private hospital were include din the study. A total of 138 women was included in the analysis if the data; the investigator observed the delivery and first postpartum hour of 50 of these women, and 99 were included by means of an interview. One-way analysis of variance and correlation of all variable were achieved at the University of Utah computer center. The over-all incidence of immediate postpartum chilling was 52.9%. No significant difference was found between the women who chilled and the women who did not in regard to age, parity, length of gestation, number of prenatal visits, blood type and Rh, height, admission weight, pre-pregnant weight, and total weight gain for the pregnancy. The only factors during labor and delivery that were of statistically significant differences between the group of chillers and the group on non-chillers were type of labor, length of the third stage, and intravenous infusion of Pitocin. The women who chilled were more likely to have induced or augmented labor that the women who did not chill. The third stage of labor was significantly shorter in the group that chilled than in the group that id not chill. Intravenous infusion of Pitocin was given to almost twice as many women who chilled as to the women who did not chill. The mean onset of chilling was 23 minutes after delivery. The mean duration of chilling was 14.61 minutes with the length of the chill not being related to the degree of muscular shaking. Body temperature was significantly lower for the group of women who chilled.