First stage labor management: An examination of patterned breathing and fatigue

Background: Patterned breathing is one way that women cope with labor Fatig ue is a frequently reported symptom over which women and caregivers have li ttle control. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship bet ween the use of patterned breathing, a traditional intervention, and the le vel of fatigue reported during the first stage of labor Method: A secondary analysis was conducted on a subset (n = 56) of a prospective longitudinal study of fatigue during the intrapartum period. The sample comprised primip arous women in labor whose fatigue was measured every two hours for six hou rs after admission. At each data point the investigator evaluated the metho d of breathing that participants used. Results: During the latent phase of labor; women using patterned breathing exhibited significantly more fatigue . In the active phase, differences between groups were not significant. Con trolling for age, education, and marital status of participants did not cha nge the results. Conclusions: It is appropriate for nurses, midwives, physi cians, and doulas to encourage the use of patterned breathing as an interve ntion in active labor; however; patterned breathing may increase the mother 's fatigue level if begun too early.