Program

Nurse-Midwifery M.S.

Number of Pages

45

Year Approved

2024

First Advisor

Clark, Renee

Second Reader

Katrina Wu

Abstract

Introduction: Motherhood is a significant rite of passage; however, many pregnant people feel underprepared. The prevalence of cesarean birth among nulliparous women due to pregnancy-related anxiety is a major concern of perinatal care providers. The current prevalence estimate for having at least one anxiety disorder during pregnancy or the postpartum period is one in five. The prevalence of anxiety in childbearing women and cesarean rates continue to rise. A rapid increase in cesarean birth with no medical indication, also known as cesarean section by maternal request, is occurring and projected to continue an upward trend of 29% by 2030 due to its overuse and the unmet educational needs of pregnant people. Research Aim: To identify the impact of enhanced antenatal education on delivery mode and maternal anxiety in low-risk primiparous women. Methods: A keyword search with Boolean operators was conducted using SCOPUS and PubMed databases. Results were assessed for inclusion and resulted in the extraction of 15 original studies. Respective study findings and demographics were organized according to themes of the social cognitive model. Results: Results from studies including 14,630 pregnant women concluded that enhanced antenatal education prepared women for childbirth through psychological preparation for labor, thus building maternal confidence in their ability to labor and give birth vaginally. The results also found that enhanced antenatal education aided in coping with fears and anxiety related to childbirth, thus decreasing maternal anxiety. This integrative review demonstrated that attendance to an antenatal education course impacted mode of delivery by increasing vaginal births, decreasing maternally requested cesarean births and decreasing maternal anxiety. Discussion: Based on these results, enhanced antenatal education should be offered to childbearing women who desire to have a vaginal delivery and/or decrease their perinatal anxiety. The concept of standardizing the content of childbirth education courses warrants further inquiry. More randomized controlled trials dedicated to each of the outcomes would impact the quality of this body of literature.

Degree Name

M.S. Nurse-Midwifery

Document Type

Masterʼs thesis

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