MOTHER FRİENDLY PRACTİCES AND MATERNAL, FETAL OUTCOMES

The "mother-friendly hospital" model aims to enhance care quality by avoiding unnecessary, non-evidence-based interventions and supporting natural physiological processes from early pregnancy to postpartum. This study evaluated the impact of mother-friendly hospital criteria on labor pain, maternal satisfaction, and maternal and fetal outcomes.

Mother-friendly hospital practices emphasizing minimal intervention and physiologic support reduce labor pain, improve maternal satisfaction, and enhance neonatal outcomes. Implementing mother-friendly approaches ensures safe, high-quality, mother-centered maternity care.

The results of our study showed that mother-friendly approaches increased maternal satisfaction during the childbirth process and reduced pain scores. These results revealed that mother-friendly practices not only improve the childbirth experience of women but also contribute positively to maternal and neonatal health. Therefore, supporting and expanding the integration of mother-friendly approaches into the healthcare system is of great importance for improving the quality of obstetric services.

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Key information

Conditions

Delivery Care Satisfaction With Care

Age range

18 year–45 year

Sex eligibility

Female

Study type

Observational

Primary location

The Obstetrics Clinics of Sakarya Research and Training Hospital

Sakarya, Adapazarı, Turkey (Türkiye)

About this study

This prospective study included term pregnant women delivering between February and June 2025 at Sakarya Research and Training Hospital (Group 1, with mother-friendly practices) and Ümraniye Research and Training Hospital (Group 2, without such practices). Exclusion criteria were maternal age >45 years, chronic systemic disease, preeclampsia or gestational diabetes, prolonged rupture of membranes with infection, preterm birth (<37 weeks), and small-for-gestational-age infants (<2 SD). Maternal characteristics, labor interventions, non-pharmacological methods, postpartum hemorrhage, labor duration, pain levels using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS), and fetal outcomes (birth weight, Apgar scores, NICU admission) were recorded. Maternal satisfaction was assessed in the first postpartum hour using the Birth Satisfaction Scale.

A total of 281 women were included (Group 1: 136, Group 2: 145). Groups were similar in age, BMI, education, employment, gestational week, labor duration, and postpartum hemorrhage (p>0.05). Latent phase, active phase, and postpartum VAS scores were significantly lower in Group 1 (p<0.001). Maternal satisfaction scores were higher in Group 1 (p<0.001). NICU admissions were lower in Group 1 (2.9% vs. 9.7%, p=0.022), and first- and fifth-minute Apgar scores were higher (p<0.001).

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

Patients aged 18-45
No chronic diseases
No acute illnesses
No pregnancy complications
Spontaneous pregnancy
Full-term pregnancy
Appropriate-for-gestational-age (AGA) infants

Exclusion criteria

Individuals over 45 years of age
Maternal type 1 and 2 diabetes mellitus or gestational diabetes
Chronic hypertension
Preeclampsia
Connective tissue disease
Smoking during pregnancy
Preterm birth (gestational age <37 weeks)
small-for-gestational-age infants (birth weight < 2 SD)
neonatal asphyxia (APGAR score <7 at 1 and 5 minutes)
malformations, chromosomal disorders, and congenital infections
women with signs of chorioamnionitis (fever, leukocytosis, abdominal pain, foul-smelling discharge) more than 12 hours after EMR
chronic kidney and liver disease
hematological disorders
Should not be administered to individuals with a pacemaker
Should not be administered to patients with epilepsy, transient ischemic attacks, or a history of cerebrovascular events

Treatment and study plan

Primary outcomes

Composite adverse maternal and neonatal outcome

Time frame: From delivery to hospital discharge, 1. day

A composite outcome including at least one of the following: cesarean delivery, postpartum hemorrhage, severe perineal trauma, low 5-minute Apgar score (<7), or NICU admission.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Sakarya University

Other

Registry information

Official study title

THE EFFECTS OF MOTHER FRİENDLY PRACTİCES ON MATERNAL AND FETAL OUTCOMES: A MULTİCENTER STUDY

Important dates

Study start: 2025
Primary completion: 2025
Study completion: 2025
First posted: Apr 7, 2026
Registry last updated: Apr 13, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

Published trials that share one or more normalized conditions with this study.

Completed