Abstract
BackgroundFear or anxiety could result in adverse consequences on the course of labour. To date, family members are still not permitted in the delivery rooms in the majority of hospitals in China, and continuous support from hospital professional staff is also limited. This study aimed to evaluate the benefits of continuous support by family members and hospital professional staff during labour in China.MethodsIn this Cross-Sectional study, 362 primiparous pregnancies who self-requested to receive continuous or one to one support with vaginal delivery and 362 primiparous pregnant women with routine hospital maternal care were included from a university teaching hospital. Data on the length of labour, postpartum haemorrhage (PPH), use of pain relief, use of oxytocin, fetal distress, emergency caesarean section and apgar score at 1 and 5 min were retrospectively collected from hospital medical data-base and compared between the two groups.ResultsMultiple linear regressions adjusting for maternal age, BMI and birth weight, revealed the estimated length of labour for women with routine hospital maternal care was 2.03 times (95%CI 1.86 to 2.21) the duration of women with supportive care (median time, 3.05 h vs 1.5 h). In addition, Fisher’s exact test showed the emergency caesarean section rate was significantly lower in women with supportive care compared to women with routine hospital maternal care (3.3% vs 24%).ConclusionOur results suggest that continuous support from family members together with hospital professional staff should be considered as part of intrapartum care in hospitals in China.
Highlights
Childbirth is a life-changing experience for women, in particular for primiparous pregnant women
After adjusting for maternal age, BMI and birth weight, we found that supportive labour is significantly associated with a reduction in length of labour compared to routine hospital care (Table 3, p < 0.0001)
In our current study with large sample size (n = 724) after adjusting for maternal age, BMI and birth weight, our data shows that the length of labour/delivery was significantly shorter in primiparous pregnant women with the support of both a family member and hospital professional staff support, compared to primiparous pregnant women with routine maternal care (1.5 h versus 3.05 h)
Summary
Childbirth is a life-changing experience for women, in particular for primiparous pregnant women. Fear and anxiety are common problems faced by women during childbirth that could affect the course of labour. A previous study has suggested that a home-like birth environment has beneficial effects on labour and delivery due to the presence of accompanying family members [4]. For the majority pregnant women, the hospital birthing room is a relatively clinical and foreign environment that may stimulate fear and anxiety during labour. The birthing environment has been changing in recent years worldwide, including in China. Family members are still not permitted in the delivery rooms in the majority of hospitals in China, and continuous support from hospital professional staff is limited.
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