Prevalence and predictive factors for fear of childbirth in pregnant Portuguese women: A cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVE: To measure the prevalence of the fear of childbirth (FOC) and determine which factors predict severe FOC among pregnant Portuguese women. METHODS: An online cross-sectional study among pregnant Portuguese women aged ≥ 20 years who were recorded using a convenience sampling. Self-administered questionnaires were used for data collection: socio-demographic and obstetric questionnaire and European Portuguese version of Wijma Delivery Expectancy Questionnaire-version A (WDEQ-A). Data of 669 participants were collected successfully from June 9 to October 30, 2019. Predictive factors for severe FOC were investigated using a multivariate logistic regression analysis. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals were calculated. RESULTS: The prevalence of severe FOC (WDEQ-A ≥ 85) among pregnant Portuguese women was 10%. Severe FOC was significantly associated with lower educational level, single/divorced marital status, and negative previous childbirth experience. Multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that being single or divorced and having a negative previous childbirth experience were predictive variables for severe FOC. CONCLUSION: Pregnant Portuguese women have FOC, although with varying severity. The data suggest that marital status and women's perceptions of previous childbirth experience may be useful variables to predict severe FOC. Further research for extending the predictive factors of FOC should be refined. The results are clinically relevant for midwifery care, as they should be used in the sense of early identification of fearful pregnant women to provide adequate support strategies to reduce FOC.

Midwifery interventions to reduce fear of childbirth in pregnant women: a scoping review protocol.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of the review is to map and analyze midwifery interventions to reduce fear of childbirth in pregnant women. INTRODUCTION: Fear of childbirth is a phenomenon negatively affecting women's health and well-being before and during pregnancy, as well as after childbirth. During the previous few decades, there has been a growing interest in research into interventions to reduce the fear of childbirth in childbearing women. Currently, providing an appropriate model of care for pregnant women with fear of childbirth is a challenge in midwifery care. Therefore, further efforts are needed to identify and examine the characteristics of different midwifery interventions to reduce fear of childbirth in pregnant women. INCLUSION CRITERIA: This scoping review will consider studies that include interventions to reduce fear of childbirth in pregnant women, led and implemented by midwives, during the antenatal period, in all possible birth scenarios. Quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods studies will be included. METHODS: The JBI methodology for conducting scoping reviews will be employed. Published and unpublished literature in English, Portuguese, and Spanish, from 1981 to the present, will be included. MEDLINE, CINAHL Complete, Scopus, Web of Science, Embase, and Cochrane Library databases will be searched. Searches for gray literature will be performed. Data will be extracted using a tool developed specifically for the scoping review objectives.

Comparative Study of the Use of HPA Lanolin and Breast Milk for Treating Pain Associated with Nipple Trauma.

OBJECTIVE: To compare two different treatments-the use of highly purified anhydrous (HPA) lanolin and expressed breast milk-for women with pain and nipple trauma during the breastfeeding process. METHOD: A total of 180 puerperal women were randomly assigned to 2 groups: one was treated with HPA lanolin and the other with their own expressed breast milk. All of the participants received the same breastfeeding technique instructions and therapeutic care standard. Three assessments were performed: at the time of inclusion in the study (after randomization); after 48 hours; and after 7 days. At each interval, data was collected in relation to pain and trauma. A numerical/verbal category scale was used for the pain variable, and the nipple trauma score for the trauma variable. The results were subjected to statistical analysis using the chi-squared test, the Fisher exact test, the student t-test, and the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test. Generalized estimating equations were calculated using the STATA 12 statistical software package (StataCorp LLC, College Station, TX, USA) and IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 20.0 (IBM Corp, Armonk, NY, USA). RESULTS: There was pain improvement from the second to the third assessment in the group that used HPA lanolin, while the pain remained unchanged between these two periods (p < 0.001) in the breast milk group. In terms of trauma, improvement was identified in its extension and depth from the first to the third assessment, and it was higher in the HPA lanolin group than in the breast milk group (p = 0.025). CONCLUSION: The treatment of pain and nipple trauma with HPA lanolin achieved better results than the one with breast milk, based on a 7-day treatment period.

OBJETIVO: Comparar dois tratamentos distintos­o uso de lanolina anidra altamente purificada (HPA, na sigla em inglês) e o próprio leite materno­para mulheres com dor e trauma mamilar durante o processo de amamentação. MéTODOS: Participaram do estudo 180 puérperas randomizadas para 2 grupos: um utilizou tratamento com lanolina HPA e o outro o próprio leite materno. Todas receberam a mesma orientação quanto à técnica de amamentação e rigor terapêutico e foram avaliadas em três momentos: na inclusão no estudo (após a randomização), em 48 horas e em 7 dias. Em todos os momentos, foram colhidos dados em relação à dor e ao trauma. Para a variável dor, utilizou-se escala de categoria numérica/nerbal e, para a variável trauma, a pontuação de traumas mamilares. Os testes estatísticos utilizados foram: Qui-quadrado, teste exato de Fisher, t de Student, e Kolmogorov-Smirnov, sendo que os modelos de equações de estimação generalizadas foram calculados por meio dos pacotes STATA 12 (StataCorp LLC, College Station, TX, EUA) e IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Versão 20.0 (IBM Corp, Armonk, NY, EUA). RESULTADOS: Houve melhora da dor da segunda para a terceira avaliação no grupo que utilizou a lanolina HPA, enquanto que no grupo que usou leite materno a dor permaneceu inalterada entre esses dois momentos (p < 0,001). Quanto ao trauma, foi identificada melhora em sua extensão e profundidade, da primeira para a terceira avaliação, e a melhora foi maior no grupo tratado com lanolina HPA do que no grupo tratado com leite materno (p = 0,025). CONCLUSãO: O tratamento da dor e do trauma mamilar com lanolina HPA teve melhor resultado comparado com o leite materno, com base em um período de tratamento de 7 dias.