Abstract:
Labor support is an important independent role of the nurse and midwife. This quasi experimental research aimed to study the effects of continuous labor support on fear of childbirth and outcomes of childbirth among primiparous women. The sample was 48 primiparous pregnant women who attend the antenatal clinic and gave birth at 38-40 weeks of gestational age in the delivery room of Srisaked hospital. Subjects were selected by inclusion criteria and random sampling was used to assign the subjects equally to experiment and control groups of 24 pregnant women each. Data were collected by a personal and demographic questionnaire, pregnancy and labor record, and the fear of birth scale. Data were analyzed by descriptive statistics, Chi-square test, Kolmogorov-Smirnov Z-test, and independent t-test. Analysis found that the mean scores of fear of childbirth in both groups measured at time 2 (after attending the program during pregnancy) were less than at time 1. However, they increased when measured at time 3 (admission into the labor room) and were highest at time 4 (active phase: cervix dilatation 6-7 cm). The difference in fear of childbirth mean scores at time 1 and time 2 in the experimental group was significantly greater than in the control group (p =.009), and the proportion of oxytocin administration in the experimental group was significantly less than in the control group (p =.001). There were no significant differences in the fear of childbirth mean scores at time 3 and time 4, duration of the first stage of labor, and the proportion of type of delivery between the experimental group and the control group (p =.830, p = .714, and p =.188, respectively). The results suggest that nurses and midwives should apply this program to provide better childbirth preparation and care of the parturient during labor in order to decrease oxytocin administration.