ABSTRACT
Pain management may actually help to shorten labor and secure natural delivery. Safe and painless labor is a dream for the future rather than a reality today. This study aimed to explore the efficacy of acupressure on pain intensity during the first stage of labor. The study was conducted on 120 parturient attending in two hospitals in Tanta city, where 60 women were chosen from each setting. Four tools were used [1] a specially designed interview schedule was used to collect basic data such as general characteristics, medical history, women's experience of pain and their expectations about labor pain. [2] Physiological and behavioral responses to pain sheet: Physiological responses to pain including: vital signs, gastrointestinal tract responses and skin responses. Behavioral responses to pain were measured using a modified Chamber Price Pain Rating Scale which includes posture, gross motor activity, facial expression and verbalization. [3] A modified version of "Johansson Pain-o-meter" for measuring the intensity of sensory and affective components of pain. It is composed of 11 affective and 12 sensory pain word descriptors. [4] Visual Analogue Scale. The results revealed that the application of acupressure to women during the first stage of labor was related to their physiological responses to pain. In addition, it was showed that both those who received the acupressure and those who did not receive it had an increase in their blood pressure. Regarding pulse rate it was observed that three nursing intervention had led to a decrease in it among the laboring women within the experimental groups. As regards the respiratory rate, the present study showed that the application of acupressure was related to its increase. In addition, a decrease of nausea and vomiting was seen after the application of acupressure. Physiologically, the activity of the sympathetic nervous system is expected to increase in response to labor pain, resulting in pallor and diaphoresis. The study revealed a change in the behavioral response to labor pain after the application of acupressure. In addition, acupressure is sign significantly related to an increase in assuming a guarded position, and decrease in frowning and grimacing, groaning, moaning, crying out, decrease in quality and intensity of labor pain. The mean score of labor pain had been reduced after acupressure application