The Relationship Between Breathing Techniques and Pain Levels Among Women in the First Stage of Labor

Abstract

Acute visceral discomfort during the active phase of stage-one labor represents a severe somatic challenge that can undermine maternal endurance and stall intrapartum progression. Structured respiratory exercises are widely endorsed as a safe, non-invasive strategy to interrupt pain pathways by inducing deep relaxation and strengthening cognitive coping mechanisms during peak uterine contractions. This investigation evaluated how guided breathing techniques impact labor pain intensity among a cohort of laboring women managed at Kotamobagu Regional General Hospital. Employing a pre-experimental approach with a one-group pretest–posttest design, the study monitored 28 intrapartum respondents selected via purposive sampling. Self-reported nociceptive levels were captured before and after the respiratory intervention using the standardized Numeric Rating Scale (NRS), with paired datasets modeled through the non-parametric Wilcoxon Signed-Rank Test. The continuous metrics revealed that the mean labor pain score decreased from  at baseline down to  post-intervention. Inferential testing confirmed this downward shift was highly significant (, ). These empirical findings confirm that structured breathing techniques serve as an effective, safe, and easily accessible non-pharmacological modality to optimize maternal comfort and control intrapartum distress.