Abstract
Objective: The literature provides no clear evidence linking maternal optimism/pessimism to birth outcomes. Our objective was to determine whether maternal expectations and predictions regarding mode of delivery and epidural anesthesia aligned with birth outcomes.
Methods: Primiparous, low-risk pregnant women at term filled in questionnaires in which they rated their chances of a vaginal delivery (VD) or a cesarean section (CS), and their intention to receive epidural anesthesia. Their responses were compared to actual outcomes.
Results: Pre-birth perceptions of odds of delivery by a CS were significantly higher (P=0.04) among women who eventually had a vacuum extraction (VE) or CS as a result of an arrest disorder, compared with women who had a VD and those who had a CS or a VE due to non-reassuring fetal heart monitor. Intention to receive epidural anesthesia was significantly lower (P<0.001) among women who gave birth without it.
Conclusion: The pessimistic pre-birth perceptions of women of high odds for a CS may be related to an increased risk of arrest disorders of labor. However, the prenatal assessments of primiparous women are poor predictors of their demand for epidural anesthesia during labor. Larger-scale studies to determine whether pre-partum psychological interventions may contribute to the process of labor and improve obstetric outcomes are warranted
References
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The authors stated that there are no conflicts of interest regarding the publication of this article.
©2014 by Walter de Gruyter Berlin/Boston
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Artikel in diesem Heft
- Frontmatter
- Review articles
- The relationship between gestational weight gain and fetal growth: time to take stock?
- Risk factors for pregnancy-associated venous thromboembolism: a review
- Academy’s Corner
- Africa is only 14 km away from my country
- Primary prevention of preterm birth
- Original articles – Obstetrics
- Mother knows best? Comparing primiparous parturients’ expectations and predictions with actual birth outcomes
- Silent chorioamnionitis and associated pregnancy outcomes: a review of clinical data gathered over a 16-year period
- Clinical factors associated with failed trials of labor in late preterm and term twin pregnancies
- Relation of placental diagnosis in stillbirth to fetal maceration and gestational age at delivery
- Evaluation of a novel placental alpha microglobulin-1 (PAMG-1) test to predict spontaneous preterm delivery
- The relationship of praise/criticism to learning during obstetrical simulation: a randomized clinical trial
- Sickle cell disease and pregnancy outcomes: population-based study on 8.8 million births
- Differences between external and internal fetal heart rate monitoring during the second stage of labor: a prospective observational study
- Perinatal management of preterm premature ruptured membranes affects neonatal prognosis
- Impact of the nitric oxide-donor pentaerythrityl-tetranitrate on perinatal outcome in risk pregnancies: a prospective, randomized, double-blinded trial
- Umbilical vein volume flow in monochorionic twin pairs at 11–14 weeks
- Gestational weight gain according to number of fetuses in Japanese women
- Original article – Fetus
- Prenatal diagnosis of sex chromosome aneuploidies and disorders of sex development – a retrospective analysis of 11-year data
- Short communication
- Reference range for amniotic fluid index measurements in a Brazilian population
- Congress Calendar
- Congress Calendar