The Influence of Nature Stimulus in Enhancing the Birth Experience

Abstract

The physical environment is one of the factors that affect women's experience of labor. The basics of the childbirth process have not changed since the beginning of human existence; however, the environment in which women today give birth has changed significantly. Incorporating design elements and strategies that calm and reduce negative emotions may create positive experiences for women in labor. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of one such strategy, namely, the presentation of images of nature, on the labor and delivery experience. The study findings showed that the experimental condition has a higher score on the Quality of Care From the Patient's Perspective (QPP) subscale. In addition, there was an increase in the QPP scores associated with the increase in Nature TV watching time, QPP mean of watching time (less than 1 hr) group, m = 4.5 and QPP mean of watching time (more than 3 hs), m = 4.8. The mean score for the heart rate was lower in the experimental condition, m = 84.60, than in the control one, m = 90.49. For Apgar, the mean score was higher for Group A, m = 8.65, and Group B, m = 8.92. These findings support the study hypothesis which states that the nature images would influence the labor experience positively. In addition, the findings emphasize the importance of incorporating nonpharmacological techniques in the labor and delivery room (LDR) units to sooth the pain. Adding nature imagery to the LDR environment can be one of these techniques.

Effects of the birthing room environment on vaginal births and client-centred outcomes for women at term planning a vaginal birth: BE-UP, a multicentre randomised controlled trial

“…One systematic review [ 11 ] and five Cochrane reviews [ 6 , 12 – 15 ] were retrieved. Additionally, three randomised controlled trials (RCTs) [ 16 – 18 ], a cohort study [ 19 ], a pilot study [ 20 ], a number of relevant qualitative studies [ 21 – 28 ] and a theoretical paper [ 29 ] were found. The findings are summarised below.…”

“… Redesign of the birthing room: There are indications that redesigning the birthing room might have a positive effect on VB rates [ 14 ]; however, statistical power was lacking in the two relevant studies [ 19 , 23 ]. In two single-centre RCTs, nature scenes on a television [ 16 ] and calming audio-visual stimuli [ 17 ] during labour had positive effects on the perceived quality of care, 5-minute Apgar scores [ 16 ] and pain intensity [ 17 ]. …”

Factors influencing water immersion during labour: qualitative case studies of six maternity units in the United Kingdom

“…Environment matters too, with midwifery units providing welcoming pool rooms, while obstetric unit pool rooms had barriers to use such as poorer monitoring facilities. Although several studies [ 36 – 38 ] show that birth room environment positively influences labour experience and outcomes, how this occurs, and the implicit messages conveyed by environment, have not been fully explored.…”

“…Future research could examine how pool availability impacts on demand for water immersion, and how midwives’ attitudes influence their access to training and familiarity with equipment. Building on previous studies [ 36 – 38 ], the effect of the birth room environment on pool use could be investigated. In addition, while water immersion guidelines themselves have been extensively examined [ 21 , 22 , 44 , 45 ], further exploration of their implementation in practice is needed.…”

An Exploratory Study of the Relationship between Facility Design and the Provision of Childbirth Care

“…Among childbirth facilities, prior research has focused on the effect of the design of labor rooms on women's outcomes and experiences. However, there remains a gap in knowledge about the effect of the unit‐ or facility‐level design structures on the ways care is provided . As a result, there is limited understanding of how facility‐level variation in the facility design structures may influence childbirth care provision .…”