BACKGROUND:
Body awareness is essential for coping with crucial stages of women’s lives, from sexuality to motherhood.WHO undermines that a positive birth experience is fundamental to ensure maternal and neonatal well-being. Therefore, promoting pelvic floor health education programs is necessary to ensure that women have a more conscious birth experience.

OBJECTIVES:
This study aims to investigate whether increased maternal awareness of perineum and pelvic floor could increase women’s satisfaction regarding the birth event.

METHODS:
A quantitative experimental study with a prospective cohort design was conducted at Policlinic San Martino in Genoa, involving women who participated in training sessions during antenatal education. To explore the degree of childbirth satisfaction, was administered the childbirth experience questionnaire (CEQ).Results were compared to control sample of women with the same clinical characteristics and analyzed using JASP software (version 17.3). A p < 0,05 was used to indicate statistical significance. Research approval was obtained from the regional ethics committee.

RESULTS:
A sample of 216 women participated in the training meeting during antenatal education. Of these, 122 women completed the CEQ. Another 122 were invited to participate, forming the control group. The study group had a more positive birth experience in the three dimensions of the CEQ: own capacity (p 0.034 – mean 26.877-26.148); professional support (p 0.065 – mean 24.689-24.270); decision making (p 0.002 – mean 13.861-13.008).

CONCLUSIONS:
Implementation of perineal education programs, led by midwives, facility a more conscious and positive birthing experience, promoting well-being lasting beyond the birth event, as confirmed by the CEQ.

KEY MESSAGE:
It is necessary to invest in the education of women and health workers in order to build a society more aware of the prepared for the challengers of motherhood. Poster session 2 (Group A)