Impact of the warm and calm breathing pattern on delivery outcomes in pregnant Chinese women: a retrospective cohort study

The traditional Lamaze breathing technique has limitations. We analyzed the effect of our new warm and calm (WC) breathing pattern on the incidence of fetal intrauterine distress, emergency cesarean delivery, forceps-assisted delivery, episiotomy, third- and fourth-degree perineal tears, and postpartum hemorrhage. Pregnant women who underwent a labor trial at the Second Hospital of West China University of Sichuan University between January 2020 and November 2023 and practiced the WC breathing pattern (n = 28,369) were recruited as the study group and those who underwent routine labor and practiced the Lamaze breathing technique between January 2016 and December 2019 (n = 21,110) constituted the control group. The chi-square test was used to compare differences in the incidence of fetal intrauterine distress, emergency cesarean delivery, forceps-assisted delivery, episiotomy, third- and fourth-degree perineal tears, and postpartum hemorrhage between the two groups. The incidence of the aforementioned events was significantly lower in the study group than in the control group. P-values were all ˂0.05, indicating significant differences. The WC breathing pattern increases the chances of a labor trial for pregnant women; reduces the incidence of fetal intrauterine distress, emergency cesarean delivery, forceps-assisted delivery, episiotomy, third- and fourth-degree perineal tears, and postpartum hemorrhage; and promotes safe delivery.