Labor Epidural Analgesia and Mother-Infant Bonding After Vaginal Delivery

May 6, 2026 updated by: Aysenur Dostbil, Ataturk University

Association Between Postpartum Recovery Quality Measured by ObsQoR-10 and Mother-Infant Bonding After Vaginal Delivery: The Role of Labor Epidural Analgesia

This prospective observational cohort study aims to evaluate the association between postpartum recovery quality and mother-infant bonding in women undergoing vaginal delivery. Postpartum recovery quality will be assessed using the Obstetric Quality of Recovery-10 (ObsQoR-10) questionnaire, and mother-infant bonding will be evaluated using the Postpartum Bonding Questionnaire (PBQ).

Participants will be grouped according to routine clinical labor analgesia preference: women receiving labor epidural analgesia and women not receiving epidural analgesia. Additional assessments will include postpartum pain intensity, anxiety, depressive symptoms, and birth satisfaction.

Baseline psychological assessments will be performed before delivery. The primary postpartum evaluation will be conducted between 6 and 24 hours after delivery. Exploratory follow-up assessments will be performed by telephone during postpartum week 2.

The study aims to better understand the relationship between labor analgesia, postpartum recovery, and early mother-infant bonding outcomes after vaginal delivery.

Study Overview

Status

Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

This single-center prospective observational cohort study will be conducted at Atatürk University Research Hospital. The study will include term pregnant women planning vaginal delivery.

Participants will be classified into two cohorts according to routine clinical labor analgesia preference:

Women receiving labor epidural analgesia Women not receiving labor epidural analgesia No experimental intervention will be applied as part of the study protocol. Epidural analgesia, when used, will be administered according to routine clinical practice.

Primary Objective:

To evaluate the association between postpartum recovery quality measured using the ObsQoR-10 questionnaire and mother-infant bonding measured using the Postpartum Bonding Questionnaire (PBQ), and to investigate the role of labor epidural analgesia in this relationship.

Secondary Objectives:

To compare postpartum recovery quality between cohorts To compare mother-infant bonding outcomes between cohorts To evaluate postpartum pain, anxiety, depressive symptoms, and birth satisfaction To assess the association between obstetric variables and postpartum recovery outcomes

Assessments:

Prepartum:

STAIS-5 EPDS

Early postpartum period (6-24 hours):

ObsQoR-10 PBQ STAIS-5 EPDS Pain score (VAS/NRS) Birth satisfaction Likert scale

Postpartum week 2:

PBQ EPDS Participants will provide written informed consent before enrollment. All collected data will be anonymized and analyzed confidentially.

Study Type

Observational

Enrollment (Estimated)

140

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

  • Name: Ayşenur Dostbil, Associate Professor
  • Phone Number: +90 533 367 66 96
  • Email: adostbil@hotmail.com

Study Contact Backup

  • Name: Ayşe Ceren Hilal Güven, assistant doctor
  • Phone Number: +90 554 112 25 81
  • Email: achg1995@gmail.com

Study Locations

  • Turkey (Türkiye)
      • Erzurum, Turkey (Türkiye), 25000
        • Ataturk University
        • Contact:
          • Ayşe Ceren Hilal Güven, assistant doctor
          • Phone Number: 554-112-25-81
          • Email: achg1995@gmail.com

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Women with term singleton pregnancy planning vaginal delivery at Atatürk University Research Hospital will be enrolled. Participants will be grouped according to routine clinical labor epidural analgesia preference.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Female participants aged 18 to 40 years
  • Term singleton pregnancy (≥37 weeks)
  • Planned vaginal delivery
  • ASA physical status II
  • Ability to understand Turkish
  • Written informed consent

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Contraindications to epidural analgesia including coagulopathy, anticoagulant use, infection, or increased intracranial pressure
  • Cesarean delivery
  • High-risk pregnancy
  • Neonatal intensive care unit requirement
  • Major depressive disorder
  • Anxiety disorder
  • Current psychotropic medication use

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort
Intervention / Treatment
Labor Epidural Analgesia
Women undergoing vaginal delivery with labor epidural analgesia as part of routine clinical care. Participants will undergo postpartum recovery, mother-infant bonding, anxiety, depression, pain, and birth satisfaction assessments during the postpartum period.
Procedure: Labor Epidural Analgesia
Epidural analgesia administered during labor as part of routine clinical care for pain management during vaginal delivery.
No Labor Epidural Analgesia
Women undergoing vaginal delivery without labor epidural analgesia as part of routine clinical care. Participants will be evaluated for postpartum recovery quality, mother-infant bonding, anxiety, depressive symptoms, pain intensity, and birth satisfaction during the postpartum period.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Mother-Infant Bonding Score
Time Frame: 6 to 24 hours after vaginal delivery
Mother-infant bonding will be assessed using the Postpartum Bonding Questionnaire (PBQ). Lower PBQ scores indicate better mother-infant bonding.
6 to 24 hours after vaginal delivery

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Postpartum Recovery Quality Score
Time Frame: 6 to 24 hours after vaginal delivery
Postpartum recovery quality will be assessed using the Obstetric Quality of Recovery-10 (ObsQoR-10) questionnaire. Higher scores indicate better postpartum recovery quality.
6 to 24 hours after vaginal delivery
Postpartum Pain Intensity
Time Frame: 6 to 24 hours after vaginal delivery
Postpartum pain intensity will be assessed using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) or Numeric Rating Scale (NRS).
6 to 24 hours after vaginal delivery
Postpartum Anxiety Level
Time Frame: 6 to 24 hours after vaginal delivery
Postpartum anxiety level will be assessed using the STAIS-5 questionnaire.
6 to 24 hours after vaginal delivery
Postpartum Depressive Symptoms
Time Frame: 6 to 24 hours after vaginal delivery
Postpartum depressive symptoms will be assessed using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS).
6 to 24 hours after vaginal delivery
Birth Satisfaction Score
Time Frame: 6 to 24 hours after vaginal delivery
Birth satisfaction will be assessed using a 4-point Likert scale.
6 to 24 hours after vaginal delivery
Mother-Infant Bonding at Postpartum Week 2
Time Frame: 2 weeks after vaginal delivery
Mother-infant bonding will be reassessed using the Postpartum Bonding Questionnaire (PBQ) during telephone follow-up at postpartum week 2.
2 weeks after vaginal delivery
Postpartum Depressive Symptoms at Week 2
Time Frame: 2 weeks after vaginal delivery
Postpartum depressive symptoms will be reassessed using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) during telephone follow-up at postpartum week 2.
2 weeks after vaginal delivery

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Ataturk University

Investigators

  • Study Chair: Ayşe Ceren Hilal Güven, assistant doctor, Ataturk University Department of Anesthesiology and Reanimation

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Estimated)

May 15, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

June 16, 2029

Study Completion (Estimated)

June 17, 2029

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

May 6, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

May 6, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

May 12, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

May 12, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

May 6, 2026

Last Verified

May 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • B.30.2.ATA.0.01.00/234
  • 2026/2 (Other Identifier: Atatürk University Clinical Research Ethics Committee)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

IPD Plan Description

Individual participant data will not be publicly shared because of institutional and participant confidentiality policies.

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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