Delivery Pain and Postpartum Comfort

Kırklareli University

Status: Completed

Conditions: Labor Pain; Acupressure; Hydrotherapy; Postpartum Period

Treatments: Other: Shower; Other: Acupressure

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT04977713

KırklareliAS-4

Details and patient eligibility

About

In this study was aimed that acupressure applied on the BL32 point and shower application reduced the intensity of labor pain experienced by the pregnant women in the active phase of labor and increased their postpartum comfort

Full description

Acupressure and shower are methods that can help reduce pain severity. This study thus aims to determine the effects of acupressure and shower on labour pain and postpartum comfort. This study was a randomized controlled trial (RCT). This study was the control group consisted of 40 pregnant women, while the experimental groups (acupressure and shower) consisted of 80 pregnant women in total. The experimental groups received routine labour care and either acupressure or showers upon reaching three cervical dilations (4-5, 6-7 and 8-10 cm). The control group only received routine labour care. A maternal information form (MIF), the Visual Analog Scale for Pain (VASP) and the Postpartum Comfort Questionnaire (PPCQ) were used to collect data. CONSORT checklist was used to report the current study.

Enrollment: 120 patients

Sex: Female

Ages: 20 to 40 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• The inclusion criteria were being 20-40 years of age;
• Having a foetus in vertex presentation
• Having a foetus weighing 2.5-4 kg, as determined through ultrasonography
• Being primiparous
• Being between 37 and 42 gestational weeks with a single foetus
• Having planned to have a spontaneous vaginal delivery
• Not having used nonpharmacological pain control methods previously
• Having a cervical dilation less than 5 cm (Dabiri et al., 2014)
• Not having received analgesia or anaesthesia.

Exclusion criteria

• Were having a systemic disease during pregnancy (gestational diabetes, hypertension)
• Taking medication regularly
• Having a problem that prevented the woman from communicating
• Undergoing psychiatric treatment (pharmacotherapy or psychotherapy)
• Requiring an operative vaginal delivery (forceps, vacuum)
• Receiving pharmacological interventions for labour pain.

Trial design

Primary purpose: Prevention

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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120 participants in 3 patient groups

Acupressure group

Experimental group

Description:

In the acupressure uterine contractions were checked before the care application began. Acupressure was applied when the women's cervical dilation reached 4-5 cm, 6-7 cm and 8-10 cm. This method was applied 18 times during uterine contractions. The application stopped at the end of each contraction and resumed once another contraction started. No application was performed between contractions.

Treatment:

Other: Acupressure

Shower Group

Experimental group

Description:

The shower group, uterine contractions were checked before the care application began. A shower was applied when the women's cervical dilation reached 4-5 cm, 6-7 cm and 8-10 cm. This method was applied 18 times during uterine contractions. The application stopped at the end of each contraction and resumed once another contraction started. No application was performed between contractions.

Treatment:

Other: Shower

Control group

No Intervention group

Description:

The women in the control group underwent routine hospital care. They were administered neither pharmacological nor nonpharmacological methods to reduce labour pain.