Effects of a Doula instrument combined with auricular acupuncture and acupoint application on numerical rating scale scores, labour time of puerperae with a natural delivery and Apgar scores of the newborns

OBJECTIVE: To determine how a combination of auricular acupuncture, acupoint application and the Doula instrument affects numerical rating scale (NRS) scores, labour time of puerperae and the Apgar scores of newborns during natural delivery. METHODS: This is a retrospective study. From January 2021 to December 2022, clinical data were collected from 90 healthy primiparae who completed natural delivery at Baoding Maternal and Child Health Hospital. They were divided into two groups based on different perinatal intervention methods. While the Doula instrument was used for the control group’s perinatal intervention, the study group received a combination of auricular acupuncture, acupoint application and the Doula instrument during their perinatal period. RESULTS: The NRS score of the study group was lower than that of the control group, demonstrating that their intergroup difference is statistically significant (P < 0.05). The incubation period, the active phase of the first stage of labour and the time of the second and third stages of work are shorter in the study group than in the control group (P < 0.05). Intergroup comparison of their one and five minutes Apgar scores demonstrates no statistically significant differences (P > 0.05). Expression levels in the study group are higher than in the control group five minutes after delivery (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: In this case, a perinatal intervention comprising auricular acupuncture, acupoint application and the Doula instrument was used for puerperae undergoing natural delivery.