Midwife-led psycho-education intervention to reduce childbirth fear: a quasi-experimental study.

This study evaluates the effect of a midwife-led psycho-education intervention called BELIEF (Birth Emotions—Looking to Improve Expectant Fear), delivered via telephone, on reducing fear of childbirth (FOC) and perceived stress (PS) among 96 pregnant women in Iran. The intervention group received three structured telephone sessions, resulting in a statistically significant reduction in FOC and PS scores compared to the control group, which received routine prenatal care. Additionally, the intervention increased women’s preference for vaginal birth both immediately after the intervention and for future pregnancies. These findings suggest that the BELIEF protocol, when administered remotely by midwives, can effectively reduce childbirth-related fear and stress while promoting vaginal birth preference, offering a flexible and accessible approach suitable for integration into prenatal care.