The effect of guided imagery on the third stage of labor: a pilot study.

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this pilot study was to test the effects of guided imagery on blood loss during the third stage of labor.

DESIGN AND

SETTING

This was a three-group randomized controlled trial. Recruitment was conducted from a university nurse-midwifery practice.

SUBJECTS: Sixty (60) women between pregnancy weeks 36 and 38 participated.

INTERVENTIONS: The women were randomized into experimental, placebo, and control groups.

OUTCOME MEASURES: Intrauterine pressure catheters were used to measure uterine contraction frequency and intensity. Blood loss was measured. Analysis of variance was used to compare the three groups on continuous variables.

RESULTS

Complete data were collected on 41 subjects. No significant differences were found among the groups on demographic or potentially confounding variables.

CONCLUSIONS

Blood loss was nominally lower in the experimental group, but conclusions cannot be drawn due to the sample size.