الفهرس 
IntroductionOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
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Abstract
Although pain during childbirth is a physiological process that experienced by all women, it should be controlled and overcomed. Labor pain affects the functional mechanism of the body leading to the physiological stress response which enhances hyperventilation with respiratory frequency of 60-70 cycles per minute resulting in a slow deceleration of the fetal heart rate. It is also causes uncoordinated uterine activity that will lead to prolonged labor, which will ultimately threaten the fetal and maternal wellbeing. The effective management of labor pain is very important to promote maternal and fetal wellbeing. Worldwide there is a wide range of strategies for the management of labor pain includes a variety of pharmacological and non-pharmacological methods. One of the nonpharmacological methods is changing maternal position. Postural changes can be one of the simplest ways of reducing labor pain, improves frequency, duration and strength of uterine contractions, decrease the need of oxytocin to augment labor and also improves oxygen supply to the fetus. Maternity nurses should provide clear, consistent and evidence-based explanation for both risks and benefits of each position and enable women to make decisions about the position choices which will afford the most comfort during labor. Moreover, increasing women’s sense of control may have the effect of decreasing the need for analgesia. According to the recent policies of the Ministry of Health and population that aimed to increase the number of natural childbirths. So this study was to determine the effect of various maternal positions on labor pain and fetal heart rate during the first stage of labor.