Publication:

Enhancing normal labour by adopting antenatal physiotherapy: a prospective study

Background In the recent past there had been a steady rise in caesarean section rate as against the vaginal delivery. Information is still scarce on the benefits of physiotherapy and birthing experience of women who exercises in antenatal duration. Benefits of exercise during pregnancy include; prevention of excessive gestational weight gain, gestational diabetes, pre-eclampsia, decrease need for caesarean section and reduced low back pain. The objective of this study was to evaluation of antenatal physiotherapy on maternal and perinatal outcome and subjective evaluation of degree of labour pain perception.

Methods In the study 150 primigravida subjects in second to third trimester without any associated high risk factor and were willing to exercise during pregnancy were chosen.

Results In the study group, the average duration of latent phase [7.56 (±2.02) hours] and active phase of first stage of labour [3.26 (±1.06) hours] was significantly lesser as compared to the control group, 89.3% (n=134) delivered vaginally and 10.7% (n=16) subjects had to be taken for caesarean section. In the study group no perineal tear or need for any instrumentation (outlet forceps/ventouse) to facilitate delivery was seen. Higher proportion of the study group subjects i.e. 70.9% experienced moderate to mild pain during labour. and majority i.e. 72% subjects delivered newborns with birth weight >2.5 kg,with higher one minute and five minutes APGAR scores.

Conclusions This highlights the very need for physiotherapy to be inculcated into the curriculum during antenatal period with conducive maternal and foetal outcome as it inflates the chances of normal deliveries and abate the rates of cesarean section and subsequent, which is the dire need of the day.