[Labor pain worries future fathers more than the mothers]

To evaluate the concerns of the future father about labor pain and another 9 items which could be important to the well-being of the mother during delivery. To investigate any possible differences in opinion between the future father and mother.

An anonymous and voluntary questionnaire was offered to the father and the pregnant patient during the last month of pregnancy. They had to answer the questionnaire separately, scoring 10 items in a 0-10 point ordinal scale, according to their concerns and the importance for the good development of the delivery (0= not concerned about/insignificant to 10=concerned about/great importance). The items included were: 1) esthetic aftermath, 2) embarassment, 3) continous information, 4) walking during labor, 5) drinking during labor, 6) companionship, 7) labor pain, 8) keeping composure, 9) kindness, 10) room comfortability. Data on age, education, parity and nationality were recorded.

A total of 147 questionnaires were completed, 99 by mothers, and 48 by fathers. Pain was the most important concern for the future fathers scoring a mean (SD) of 8.15 (2), while continuous information 7.71 (2.5), kindness 7.9 (2.1), and companionship 8.21 (2.3) were more important than pain for mothers. A statistically significant difference was found between fathers and mothers regarding labor pain (P=.001), walking during labor (P=.003), and drinking during labor (P=.009).

The result of our study suggests that increasing the presence of the father during the delivery process, and taking care of the emotional aspects and the quality of the information given could be very important for the perception of satisfaction.