Cochrane Database Review concludes women should have labour support

The Cocharane Collaboration has just published a review of Continuous support for women during childbirth. Following is part of the abstract:

ABSTRACT

Objectives:
Primary: to assess the effects, on mothers and their babies, of continuous, one-to-one intrapartum support compared with usual care.
Secondary: to determine whether the effects of continuous support are influenced by: (1) routine practices and policies in the birth environment that may affect a woman’s autonomy, freedom of movement and ability to cope with labour; (2) whether the caregiver is a member of the staff of the institution; and (3) whether the continuous support begins early or later in labour.

Main results:
Sixteen trials involving 13,391 women met inclusion criteria and provided usable outcome data. Primary comparison: women who had continuous intrapartum support were likely to have a slightly shorter labour, were more likely to have a spontaneous vaginal birth and less likely to have intrapartum analgesia or to report dissatisfaction with their childbirth experiences. Subgroup analyses: in general, continuous intrapartum support was associated with greater benefits when the provider was not a member of the hospital staff, when it began early in labour and in settings in which epidural analgesia was not routinely available.

Authors’ conclusions
All women should have support throughout labour and birth.

You can read the whole 72 page review by downloading it from the Childbirth Connection; a great source of pregnancy and childbirth information.