Abstract:
Laboring women who received oxytocin usually experience discomforts and suffer
from labor pain that may result in poor pain coping behavior and poor birth experience.
This quasi-experimental research aimed to examine the labor support program on pain coping
behaviors and childbirth experience among primiparous women who received oxytocin. Research
participants were 50 primiparous women who received oxytocin and care at delivery room,
Samudprakan Hospital. Purposive sampling was used to recruit participants. They were divided
into an experimental group (n= 25) and a control group (n= 25). The experimental group
received labor support program and routine nursing care. The control group received routine
nursing care only. Research instruments used to collect data composed of questionnaire about
personal and obstetric information, Pain Coping Behavior Observation Form and the Perception
of Childbirth Experience Questionnaire. Data were analyzed by using descriptive statistics and
independent t-test.
The findings revealed that the experimental group had significantly better pain
coping behaviors both at the period of cervical dilation 5-7 centimeters and at 8-10 centimeters
than the control group (t
48=15.88, p < .001 and t
48= 24.50, p< .001, respectively) and had
significantly higher positive childbirth experience than the control group (t
48= 22.7, p< .001).
Results of the study confirmed that the labor support program could increase pain coping
behaviors and childbirth experience. Therefore, nurse-midwives should use this program to care
laboring women who received oxytocin.