Özet:

Objective: To investigate the effect of the birth ball exercise on management of childbirth pain during the first stage of labor in primipara pregnant women. Methods: This was a semi-experimental randomized controlled study conducted on pregnant women between February and May 2016. The women were randomly categorized into 2 groups, with 30 women in each group (intervention vs. control groups). The pain visual analog scale (VAS) was used to determine the pain level of the women. Women in the intervention group were provided with a birth ball exercise program during labor. The control group performed no birth ball exercises. The VAS pain scores of the both the groups were registered when the cervical dilatation was 2-8 cm. The data were analyzed using means, t-test, and ANOVA. Results: Our results indicate that the pain scores of the women in the intervention group who implemented birth ball exercises were significantly lower than those of women in the control group when the cervical dilatation was 4-8 cm. Conclusion: The pain severity was “moderate” in the intervention group, but “severe” in the control group. Birth ball exercises were therefore found to be effective in decreasing childbirth pain in this study.

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