Responding to a crying infant - you do not learn it overnight: a phenomenological study.

Objective: to examine the views and practices of first-time and experienced mothers in response to infant crying during the first 12 weeks post birth.

Design: longitudinal, qualitative study using an interpretive, phenomenological approach.

Setting: postnatal hospital and home settings in Switzerland.

Antenatal psychobiological predictors of psychological response to childbirth.

Background: Several psychological and obstetric predictors of a negative childbirth experience and traumatic response to delivery have been identified. However, the influence of antepartum physiological stress parameters has not been elucidated.

Objective: The study includes an exploratory analysis of the associations of fear of delivery, antenatal basal and reactive activity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, and obstetric outcomes, with childbirth experience and posttraumatic avoidance in the postpartum period.

Fetal response to abbreviated relaxation techniques. A randomized controlled study.

Background: stress during pregnancy can have adverse effects on the course of pregnancy and on fetal development. There are few studies investigating the outcome of stress reduction interventions on maternal well-being and obstetric outcome.

Aims: this study aims (1) to obtain fetal behavioral states (quiet/active sleep, quiet/active wakefulness), (2) to investigate the effects of maternal relaxation on fetal behavior as well as on uterine activity, and (3) to investigate maternal physiological and endocrine parameters as potential underlying mechanisms for maternal-fetal relaxation-transferral.