The Effect of Breathing Exercises Using a Breathing Exercise Device and Virtual Reality Applications During Pregnancy and Labor on Labor

Abstract

The study aimed to determine the effects of breathing exercises using a breathing exercise device and virtual reality applications during pregnancy and labor on labor pain, duration, and birth satisfaction. This study was planned as a single-blind randomized controlled experimental study. The study was conducted with a total of 114 pregnant women who were randomized between September 2022 and May 2023 at a maternity hospital in Southeastern Anatolia, Turkey. The participants were divided into three groups: the breathing exercise group (39), the virtual reality group (37), and the control group (38). The data were collected by using the descriptive information form, labor observation form, visual analog scale, and Birth Satisfaction Scale. The incidence of average pain scores and labor duration were lower in the intervention groups when compared with the control group (P < .05). The average birth satisfaction scores of pregnant women in both experimental groups were determined to be higher than those in the control group (P < .05). The research results show that breathing exercises using a breathing exercise device during pregnancy and labor and virtual reality applications shorten the duration of labor, reduce labor pain, and increase birth satisfaction.