Prenatal Playful-Educational Activities, Psycho-Emotional Well-Being of Pregnant Women and Perinatal Outcomes: A Pilot Study

Abstract

Objective: To present the results of a pilot study that evaluated the psycho-emotional well-being, and the perinatal results of a group of 44 women who attended a prenatal program that incorporates playful and educational activities, in a Child Development Center in Durango. Mexico. Methods: A group of 44 women with informed consent participated for 28 weeks in the prenatal program. The condition of psycho-emotional well-being during the first and third trimesters and the perinatal results were analyzed with validated instruments. Physiological stress was also assessed with salivary cortisol in the same trimesters. Results: More than 90% of the women evaluated their psycho-emotional condition as satisfactory and very satisfactory. The evaluation of anxiety in its Trait/State modalities placed the participants in the category of mild and moderate. Salivary cortisol showed values within a normal range. Perinatal results showed that 98% of deliveries were at term, 93% of newborns weighed more than 2500 grams, and 98% of newborns had an APGAR score of 9 at 5 minutes. Conclusion: The results suggest that the incorporation of playful and educational actions to prenatal surveillance positively influenced the biopsychosocial condition of the pregnant woman and favorable perinatal outcomes.