Background & aim: Warm water immersion during labor is associated with relaxation and pain reduction for pregnant women. This method is not extensively used in Iran, given the fear of infection and other maternal/neonatal complications. Alternative methods are required to increase the safety of normal vaginal delivery. The purpose of this study was to compare maternal and neonatal outcomes, ass...

BACKGROUND Midwife facilitated, group models of antenatal care have emerged as an alternative to conventional care both within Australia and internationally. Group antenatal care can be offered in a number of different ways, however usually constitutes a series of sessions co-ordinated by a midwife combining physical assessment, antenatal education and peer support in a group setting. Midwife-l...

Evidence-Based Answer Antenatal digital perineal massage in the final month of pregnancy is safe and well tolerated. Women who have not had a previous vaginal delivery and perform digital perineal massage in the final month of pregnancy experience less perineal birth trauma, mostly through fewer episiotomies, than those who have not performed massage. Women who have had a previous vaginal deliv...

BACKGROUND Poor obstetrical outcomes are associated with imbalances in the vaginal flora. The present study evaluated the role of vaginal Lactobacillus species in women with intermediate vaginal flora with regard to obstetrical outcomes. METHODS We retrospectively analysed data from all women with singleton pregnancies who had undergone routine screening for asymptomatic vaginal infections at...

OBJECTIVE To compare the outcome of pregnancy in cohorts of women with singleton pregnancy and history of preterm birth and sonographic short cervix managed with different treatment protocols, namely cerclage, vaginal progesterone or cervical pessary. METHODS This was a comparison of three management protocols for women with singleton pregnancy and a high risk of preterm birth because of a pr...

BACKGROUND Infant or maternal injury during vaginal delivery is a constant threat to all involved, but difficult to predict. OBJECTIVE To estimate the risk of birth injuries in an institution favouring trial of vaginal birth when there was doubt of the best mode of delivery. DESIGN A retrospective cohort study. SETTING University Hospital. POPULATION Singleton 14,359 vaginal deliveries ...

background: we sought to compare the effectiveness and safety of sublingual versus vaginal misoprostol for the termination of pregnancy with a live full-term fetus. methods: this randomized, triple-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial was performed on 200 primiparous women with normal, singleton, full-term pregnancies candidated for the induction of labor. sublingual and vaginal tablets con...

BACKGROUND Vaginal birth after Caesarean section (VBAC) is a relevant question for a large number of women due to the internationally rising Caesarean section (CS) rate. There is a great deal of research based on quantitative studies but few qualitative studies about women's experiences. METHOD A metasynthesis based on the interpretative meta ethnography method was conducted. The inclusion cr...

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to investigate first-time mothers undergoing cesarean section in the absence of medical indication, their reason for the request, self-estimated health, experience of delivery, and duration of breastfeeding. We also aimed to study if signs of depression postpartum are more common in this group. METHOD In a prospective cohort study 357 healthy primiparas...