Effect of Childbirth Preparation Classes on Happiness during Pregnancy and Postpartum

Pregnancy is the most stressful period of a woman's life and can lead to depression, anxiety, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. The participation of pregnant women in childbirth classes reduces the hospitalization period and increases their satisfaction with the childbirth experience. This study aimed to investigate the effect of childbirth classes on pregnancy and postpartum happiness.

This quasi-experimental study was carried out on pregnant women referring to health centers of Bojnurd City in 2016. Eighty pregnant women were randomly selected and divided into intervention and control groups. The subjects in the intervention group participated in childbirth classes, while the control group received routine prenatal care. The intervention group subjects completed the happiness and pregnancy profile questionnaires after participating in the eighth session of Childbirth and postpartum classes. Data were analyzed using SPSS 22 software through independent T, Mann–Whitney U tests, and repeated measure analysis of variance.

There was no significant difference in the happiness scores between the control and intervention groups before the intervention (p=0.235). There was a significant difference in score changes of the happiness in the intervention group (p=0.017), while no significant difference was observed in the control group (p=0.315).

Childbirth preparation classes increased the mother's level of happiness due to creating the connection among pregnant mothers, creating awareness of pregnancy changes, teaching pregnancy exercises, and informing the husband to care mother.