Abstract:Objective To observe the effect of in-water childbirth on postpartum pelvic floor function and recent neonatal safety in primiparas. Methods Totally 200 primiparas in our hospital between November 2014 and March 2017 were selected as the research objects, and divided into 2 groups. They were given expectant water delivery (80 cases in the observation group) and conventional labor delivery (120 cases in the control group). The pelvic floor function indexes after delivery were compared between the 2 groups and the neonatal situations were statistically analyzed. Results There were significant differences in the incidences of stress urinary incontinence (SUI) and pelvic organ prolapse (POP) between the observation group and the control group 42 d after delivery (P < 0.05). The grade 0, II , III and V muscular strength of class I muscle fibers in the pelvic floor of the observation group was significantly different from that of the control group (P < 0.05); and the grade 0, II and V muscular strength of class II muscle fibers in the pelvic floor of the observation group was significantly different from that of the control group (P < 0.05). There was no significant difference in the neonatal asphyxia rate or infection rate between the observation group and the control group (P > 0.05). There were significant differences in pelvic floor muscle EMG and pelvic floor muscle pressure between the observation group and the control group (P < 0.05). Conclusions Delivery in water can effectively alleviate the damage of pelvic floor electrophysiological indexes in the early postpartum period of primipara and has little effect on postpartum pelvic floor function, moreover it does not increase the neonatal asphyxia rate or infection rate, therefore the neonatal safety is good. It is recommended in clinical practice.