Effect of Chewing Gum and Stress Ball on Labor Pain, Duration of Labor, and Birth Satisfaction: A Randomized Controlled Study

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the effects of gum chewing (GG) and stress ball (BG) use on labor pain, labor duration, and birth satisfaction in women. Methods: This study was conducted in a maternity clinic as a randomized controlled experimental study. Ninety-six women were randomly divided into three groups. The sample of the study consisted of 96 pregnant women, 32 in the GG group, 32 in the BG use group, and 32 in the control group (CG). When the mother’s pain began in the latent phase and active phase; The group using the BG had the BG squeezed for 20 min, the GG group had gum chewed for 20 min, and the CG received only standard care. Women were evaluated before and after the intervention in terms of pain intensity and postintervention satisfaction level. Personal information form, labor follow-up form, Visual Analog Scale, and birth satisfaction scale were used to collect data. Results: After the interventions, labor pain was less in the GG and BG groups than in the CG. At the same time, birth satisfaction in the GG and BG groups was higher than the CG (p<0.05). Conclusion: GG and using BG techniques are extremely effective in alleviating labor pain and satisfaction in primiparous women. There was no difference in labor pain reduction between the two interventions. These interventions have no effect on labor duration. These results show that GG and BG are effective nursing interventions for relieving labor pain and can be safely used.