"Being in the zone" makes a difference: flow, birth experience, birth duration, and postpartum Stress

The subjective childbirth experience is crucial for a woman's well-being. This study examines the relationship between 'birthing consciousness' - a flow-like state of hyperfocus, self-efficacy, and calm - and birth outcomes, including subjective experience, labour duration, and postpartum mental health.

Data were collected prospectively from a cohort of birthing women (January-September 2023) at Ziv Medical Center, Israel. Women planning a vaginal birth (N = 138) completed surveys at three time points: Antenatal: During antenatal care at 34-41 weeks' gestation; Postpartum: 72 hours postpartum, assessing flow state using the Flow State Scale (FSS); Postpartum: 8 weeks postpartum, assessing mental health using the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS-21). Pregnancy and birth details, including demographic variables and birth stage durations, were obtained from electronic medical records.

Higher flow was associated with shorter labour ;(Stage 2: r =  -0.316, p = .002, n = 98; Stage 3: r =  -0.302, p = .002, n = 98) and lower postpartum stress ;(r =  -0.451, p < .001, n = 93). Women reporting a positive birth experience had higher flow than those reporting a negative experience (Welch's t = 4.00, p < .001; Cohen's d = 1.25; n = 83). In logistic regression, higher flow increased the odds of a positive birth experience (OR = 1.02 per point, 95% CI [1.00-1.05], p = .043).

Experiencing flow can enhance the childbirth experience and shorten birth's critical stages. These findings highlight the significance of attending to a woman's mental state during labour to optimise her health outcomes.