The effects of breathing patterns and massage on the pain and perception of labor in primiparous women

Childbirth is an important experience in a woman’s life and the quality of this experience has both short and long-term effects on their life. The negative birth experiences have been shown to negatively impact postpartum psychiatric symptoms, sexual functioning and the bond between mother and infant. On the other hand, fear and anxiety from labor pain are resulted in increase of surgical interventions. Therefore, we examined the efficacy of breathing patterns and massage on the pain and perception of labor. In this study, a randomized control trial was conducted. It involved 50 patients referred to Kerman Arjmand Hospital, of which 25 were used as the experimental and 25 as the control group. The experimental group received breathing patterns and massage intervention format from the beginning of labor until the end of second stage whereas the control group did not. The severity of labor pain was measured using the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) at 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 cm of cervical dilatation. Data were obtained through the VAS, inspection and postnatal interview form. Descriptive statistics, Chi-square, t-test, ANOVA and Pearson correlation were used for data analysis The mean pain score in case and control group were 5.22±0.67 and 6.23±0.72, respectively (p<0.05). The experimental group had more positive perception and less behavioral changes than those of the control group. Therefore, maternal perception of labor and behavioral changes were significantly different (p<0.05). The findings of this study suggest that breathing patterns and massage are cost-effective interventions for decreasing of labor pain and more satisfactory birth perception.