THE EFFECTIVENESS OF BIRTH PLAN PREPARATION IN REDUCING ANXIETY AMONG PREGNANT WOMEN BEFORE CHILDBIRTH

Dede Waslia; Yeni Rosyeni; Maya Adzzahra

Dede Waslia Diploma III Program in Midwifery, Faculty of Health Sciences and Technology, Universitas Jenderal Achmad Yani, Cimahi, West Java, Indonesia
Yeni Rosyeni Diploma III Program in Midwifery, Faculty of Health Sciences and Technology, Universitas Jenderal Achmad Yani, Cimahi, West Java, Indonesia
Maya Adzzahra Diploma III Program in Midwifery, Faculty of Health Sciences and Technology, Universitas Jenderal Achmad Yani, Cimahi, West Java, Indonesia

Abstract

Childbirth is a physiological process accompanied by both physical and psychological changes in pregnant women. Anxiety is one of the psychological responses that may arise as women approach delivery and, when excessive, can affect maternal well-being and the childbirth process. Birth plan preparation is a structured approach that may help women strengthen their readiness for childbirth by providing information and opportunities to discuss their preferences with healthcare providers. This study aimed to analyze the effect of birth plan preparation on anxiety levels among third-trimester pregnant women approaching childbirth at TPMB Midwife Rina Listiana, S.ST, Karawang Regency. A quantitative approach with a pre-experimental one-group pretest–posttest design was employed. Thirty third-trimester pregnant women were selected using purposive sampling. Maternal anxiety was assessed using a modified anxiety questionnaire based on a Visual Analog Scale approach. Data were analyzed using the Wilcoxon Signed-Rank Test at a significance level of 0.05. Before the intervention, moderate anxiety was the most common category (46.7%). After birth plan preparation, 46.7% of respondents reported no anxiety and 46.7% experienced mild anxiety, while moderate anxiety decreased to 6.7%. The mean anxiety score declined from 53.37 before the intervention to 12.80 afterward, with a p-value of 0.0001 (p < 0.05). These findings indicate a significant difference in anxiety scores before and after birth plan preparation and suggest that structured birth plan preparation may be considered as part of antenatal education to strengthen maternal psychological readiness for childbirth.

Keywords: birth plan, childbirth anxiety, childbirth preparation, third trimester pregnancy

DOI: 10.35990/mk.v9-ISGH.p103-115

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