Evaluation of Pregnancy, Delivery, and Postpartum Effectiveness of Maternity School Trainings Organized Based on the Guideline of Ministry of Health in Turkey: A Comparative Study

BACKGROUND: There are uncertainties and contradictions in the literature about the effectiveness of maternity schools. The purpose of this study is to determine the effectiveness of prenatal trainings performed in an institutional and disciplined manner. METHODS: This study was prospectively conducted between 2018 and 2019, and 245 primiparous pregnant women who gave birth in our hospital were examined. On a volunteer basis, a study group (n = 108) was created including patients who attended the maternity school trainings and a control group was created including patients who did not attend these trainings (n = 137). Both groups were compared in terms of caesarean section rates, active phase periods of birth, visual analogue scale (VAS) during active labor, Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) score, time from birth to first skin contact, newborn Apgar scores, and admission rates to the neonatal intensive care unit. RESULTS: Cesarean section rates were significantly lower in the maternity school group (21.1% versus 29.19%). In the maternity school group, the active phase period of delivery was shorter (p < 0.001), VAS was lower during active labor (p < 0.001), and EDPS score was lower (p < 0.001). Education level was higher in the maternity school group than in the control group (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Institutional and disciplined antenatal pregnancy trainings provide significant benefits during pregnancy, delivery, and postpartum period depression by especially reducing the rates of cesarean section and postpartum depression.