ABSTRACT
Introduction: Birth Preparedness and Complication Readiness (BPCR) is an important intervention included by WHO as essential elements of antenatal care package. It is often delivered to pregnant women through their active participation by health care provider during antenatal care or initiated/followed up through visits to the homes of pregnant women by community health workers. Objectives: To determine the knowledge and practice regarding BPCR and to identify factors associated with it among rural pregnant women. Method: Cross-sectional study was conducted in rural field practice area of Community Medicine Department of a medical teaching institutes. A total of 210 pregnant women who were in the second and third trimesters of pregnancy were selected by simple random sampling and interviewed for data collection. Results: Mean age of study subjects was 24.14 + 3.88 years.The highest number of women was in the age group of 20-29 years (84.8%). More than half (57.6%) mothers had observed at least two or more components of BPCR. Maximum number of females had identified facility for delivery (63.8%) followed by transportation (60.9%). Identification of potential blood donor by mothers was low (14.3%). Bleeding was most commonly identified danger symptom in all three phases of child bearing. Knowledge regarding danger signs was significantly associated with birth preparedness. Conclusion: In the present study, practice of all components of BPCR by mothers was very low. Bleeding was the most commonly identified danger symptom during all three phases i.e., pregnancy, child birth and after birth.Knowledge regarding other danger signs was highly inadequate.