Background: Assessment of women’s childbirth experience is an important indicator in maternity services. Positive childbirth experiences improve mothers’ health, whereas negative childbirth experiences can cause psychological stresses and, in extreme cases, may lead to postpartum depression. Methods: In this cohort study, 204 women at 35–37 weeks of gestation were selected using cluster sampling from the health centers of Tabriz, Iran. Women were divided into three groups (68 women in each group) based on their attendance in childbirth preparation classes: (a) non-attenders (did not attend any sessions), (b) irregular attenders (attended 1–3 sessions), and (c) regular attendants (attended 4–8 sessions). Interviews were conducted at one month postpartum to complete the Childbirth Experience Questionnaire (CEQ) and Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS). The general linear model (GLM) was used to identify associations between women’s attendance to the classes and either
Abstract
Aim: To compare primiparous women s childbirth knowledge and their satisfaction with the childbirth preparation classes between regular and irregular attenders. Design: A cross-sectional study. Method: This study was conducted on 136 primiparous pregnant women attending health centres in Tabriz, Iran. Women s knowledge on childbirth and their satisfaction with childbirth preparation classes were measured by using reliable tools via interviews. An independent t test was applied to compare women s knowledge and satisfaction scores between regular and irregular attenders. Results: The mean score of knowledge was significantly higher among women who were regular attenders compared to irregular attenders (p
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