Abstract
INTRODUCTION: Fear of childbirth is a common problem in pregnant women, which in many cases leads to maternal requested cesarean. A midwife, as a responsible person, plays an important role in providing advice and giving care to mothers during pregnancy, delivery, and the postpartum period. The present study was conducted with the aim of determining the effect of individual counseling program by a midwife on fear of childbirth in primiparous women. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This clinical trial was conducted in 2015-16, on ninety primiparous women with gestational ages of 28-30 weeks, who presented themselves at health-care centers in Mashhad. The individuals were randomly divided into two groups: intervention and control. The intervention group received the counseling program individually during three sessions, and the routine care was given to the control group. Data collection tools the Wijma Delivery Expectancy/Experience Questionnaire. The data were collected at recruitment during 34-36 weeks of pregnancy and were analyzed using SPSS 16 software and the statistical tests: Chi-square and t-test, and P < 0.05 was considered to be significant. RESULTS: During weeks 34-36 of pregnancy, the mean scores for fear of childbirth in the intervention group and control group were 39.733 ± 17.085 and 65.666 ± 15.019, respectively, and there was a significant difference between the two groups (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The individual counseling program provided by the midwife to the primiparous women during pregnancy resulted in reduced fear of childbirth.