The Effect of Perineal Massage on Perineal Status and Duration of Labor

Abstract

Perineal rupture in postpartum mothers causes bleeding, pain, and high dependency on others after the birth. The preliminary study results showed that 68.81% of postpartum mothers experienced perineal rupture. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of perineal massage on perineal status and length of labor. It was quasi-experimental research with control group post-test only design. The population were all expectant mothers in the Yogyakarta Community Health Center. A sample of 60 respondents were divided into control and intervention groups using a random sampling method. The inclusion criteria were 20-35 years old, singleton pregnancy, spontaneous labor, and gestational age of 34-36 weeks. The study instrument used was an observation sheet. Data were analyzed using descriptive, t-test independent, Mann-Whitney’s, and linear regression test. Results. The results showed that perineal massage affects perineal status (p < 0.001) and the duration of stage I and  stage II of labor (p < 0.001). Perineal massage affects perineal status and the duration of labor in the Yogyakarta City Community Health Center.