OBJECTIVE: child birth is the most emotional experience near the primiparous women, which effects on their health or illness in their whole life. Being alone in childbirth environments, leads to anxiety and complication due to such situation in labour
So we decided to evaluate the effects of psychosocial support during labour, delivery and the immediate postpartum period provided by a female relative companion on state anxiety and breastfeeding desire in nuliparous women in Iran hospital in Iranshahr 2009-2010.
DESIGN: The effects of the intervention were assessed by means of a randomised clinical trial. Emotional support by a female relative was provided to women in the intervention group, while women in the control group received routine care.
SETTING: A main governmental hospital in Iranshahr City
PARTICIPANTS: two hundred and ten women with a single foetus, no previous vaginal delivery, < 3 cm of cervical dilatation, and no indications for an elective caesarean section were randomly assigned to be in control group who received routine care, or being in support group. Intervention group accompanied by a relative woman, who accepted to remain by the labouring mother from the time of admission until one hour after birth. She must talk while keeping mother’s hand, giving reassurance and praise them.
OUTCOME MEASURES: mother's state anxiety score at the admission, mother's state anxiety score in 6-8 cm dilation of cervix, Breastfeeding desire, first Breastfeeding initiation time, duration of labour, mother perception to the birth, newborn’s apgar score, and disturbances caused by the companions in delivery ward.
Keywords: Labour, breastfeeding, Anxiety, companionship