Developing a Childbirth Preparation Model for Pregnant Women and Supporters

This participatory action research aimed to develop a childbirth preparation model for pregnant womenandsupporters focusingonparticipationof15pairsofpregnant womenandtheirclosesupporters (husband or significant other) as well as 13 professional nurses stationed at the antenatal care unit and delivery room of a tertiary care hospital in the southern part of Thailand. The research team acted as facilitators. Thedata were collectedbyfocusgroupand fieldnotes. Data analysis was carriedout through content analysis and descriptive statistics. The findings revealed that the problem during labor was ‘fear’. It can be classified as fear of pain, fear of delivery, and fear of place. These finding data of problems were used for developing the childbirth preparation model for pregnant women and supporters. The model was developed by emphasizing participatory process of research participants. That is, professional nurses stationed at the delivery room and antenatal care unit worked together to develop the childbirth preparation model for pregnant women and supporters, including the lesson plan for childbirth preparation and the handbook of childbirth preparation. The model was tested and commented on by pregnant women and supporters. Finally, the model consisted of 3 training sessions, 1.50-2 hours for each session, and 5 couples for each group. The model contributed most essential information and content for pregnant women and could lead to sustainable implementation of the childbirth preparation for pregnant women and supporters in the target setting.