What kind of project is it and why do we want you to participate?

Professional support can promote the health and well-being of parents during pregnancy and parenthood. In previous research, expectant parents have requested increased professional support and wish to learn how to use massage during pregnancy and childbirth. Massage can reduce anxiety during pregnancy and pain during childbirth.

The research project is aimed at you parents (pregnant woman and partner), who are expecting your first child and plan to give birth at Skaraborg Hospital Skövde (SkaS). The project is an educational intervention with professional support from midwives and touch therapists, where you expectant first-time parents will be trained in soft tissue massage. Soft tissue massage means touching the skin on the back, hands and feet. The soft tissue massage is carried out in a soft way with light strokes with the whole palm. The educational intervention provided in this research project is a complement to your existing maternal health care.

Participating in the research project can be a way for you as a couple to prepare together for childbirth. In the project, you will learn to use soft massage together with your partner. Together with other parent couples (approx. 5 couples/group) you will receive professional support from a midwife and touch therapist who will introduce you to the soft tissue massage method.

Overall purpose

The overall aim of the project is to study the importance of professional support in the form of gentle massage to promote parents' health and well-being during pregnancy, childbirth and the period after. The responsible research leader for the project is the Västra Götaland region, Skaraborgs Sjukhus Skövde (SkaS). Participating research principal is the University of Borås. Research principal means the organization responsible for the project. The research is approved by the Ethics Review Authority, diary number 2024-01280-01. The clinical trial is registered in the ISRCTN registry https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN14694502

How is the project going?

In this research project, expectant first-time parents will be trained to give each other gentle massage from pregnancy week 37 (full-term pregnancy 37+0). Together within the parent couple, you will receive professional support from a midwife and touch therapist at both physical meetings at SkaS and digitally. It will take place in groups of a maximum of five couples per occasion. You will also be followed during the pregnancy and the time afterwards in the form of interviews, surveys, observations and via diaries. You will be given your verbal and written consent to participate.

Those interested in participating contact the research leader, Amanda Claesson Karhunen amanda.claesson@vgregion.se tel: 0765–802632