A BJOG study reports that specialist pre-pregnancy preparation for women and their partners, emphasising practical training in breathing, relaxation and massage techniques, and aimed at promoting ‘natural' childbirth, produced no measureable outcome benefits over the standard classes offered at antenatal clinics in Sweden.
Bergström M, Kieler H, Waldenström U. Effects of natural childbirth preparation versus standard antenatal education on epidural rates, experience of childbirth and parental stress in mothers and fathers: a randomised controlled multicentre trial. BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology. Published online 27 May 2009.
To view an abstract of the paper, click here.
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