Preliminary Effects of a Woman-Centered Antenatal Intervention on Decision Making, Childbirth Self-Efficacy, and Birth Experience: A Feasibility Study

Background: A positive childbirth experience is closely associated with women’s active participation and sense of control. Although evidence supports mobility during labor as a strategy to enhance autonomy and improve outcomes, institutional practices often restrict women’s freedom of movement. Antenatal education may foster informed choices and active engagement in labor. This study aimed to assess the feasibility and preliminary effects of a woman-centered antenatal intervention on emancipated decision making, satisfaction with decision, childbirth self-efficacy, and birth beliefs, as well as its associations with labor and birth outcomes. Methods: This pre-experimental, pre- and posttest quantitative study was conducted in a community setting. Fifty-six women completed baseline measures (T1), 38 postintervention (T2), and 30 after childbirth (T3). The intervention included two group sessions combining experiential learning, communication strategies, and decision-making practice. Paired and nonparametric tests assessed changes in outcomes. Correlation and regression analyses explored associations with clinical and experiential outcomes. Results: The intervention was feasible and well accepted, with 53% overall retention and high satisfaction (mean = 9.73/10). Statistically significant improvements were observed in satisfaction with decision ( p < 0.001, d = 0.60) and natural birth beliefs ( p < 0.001, r = 0.61), while other outcomes showed small, nonsignificant positive trends. A modest association was found between natural birth beliefs and perceived participation in childbirth ( p = 0.042). Women who reported mobility during labor tended to experience higher childbirth experience scores ( p = 0.005) and a greater frequency of vaginal births ( p = 0.043), though these results should be interpreted cautiously due to the small sample size. Conclusions: This woman-centered antenatal intervention was feasible, acceptable, and conceptually promising. Preliminary findings indicate potential benefits for women’s satisfaction with decision making, beliefs about childbirth, and birth experience; however, no definitive conclusions can be drawn. A larger, adequately powered, multisite trial is warranted to confirm these trends and further evaluate the intervention’s effects.