Comparison of the effects of maternal supportive care and Acupressure (at BL32 Acupoint) during labor on the mother’s anxiety level and Arterial oxygen pressure of the umbilical cord of infants (PO2)

The amount of umbilical cord blood gas reflects the fetus’ metabolic status and is one of the main diagnostic criteria of birth asphyxia. The question is whether anxiety caused by labor pain of the mother affects asphyxia birth and umbilical cord blood gases? Comparison of the effects of maternal supportive care and acupressure (BL32 acupoint) during labor on the mother’s anxiety level and Arterial oxygen pressure of the umbilical cord of infants (PO2).

This clinical trial was performed on 150 pregnant women who were randomly assigned to two interventions and a control group in the delivery ward of the selected educational center of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences (Shoushtari hospital). Mothers’ anxiety scores before (beginning of the active stage of labor) and after the intervention (the end of the first stage of labor) were measured using Spielberger’s questionnaire. then infants’ cord blood samples for arterial blood gas and hematologic analyses sent to the hospital’s laboratory. After all, the data with SPSS version16 and using Pearson’s correlation coefficient, one-way ANOVA, were analyzed.

The mean of anxiety score in the control group was 21.1% and in the support group and the acupressure group, decreased by 37.5% and 34.8% respectively (p<0.001). The mean of PO2 was also reported in maternal supportive, acupressure, and control groups, 40.4±8.8, 27.4±2.8, and 18.1±3.7, respectively. Additionally, a significant correlation was found between mothers’ anxiety scores after the intervention and the mean of PO2 (p=0.014).

The supportive care and acupressure at BL32 acupoint reduced mothers’ anxiety and, consequently, improved fetal oxygenation. SO, the Support group was better than the acupressure group, but they were not statistically significant.