Analysis of stress factors and illness-proneness related to the childbearing year

The purpose of this research was to compare Pregnancy Illness-Proneness and Stress (PIPAS) data from an original study done by Sullivan with PIPAS data gathered through a Childbearing Year (CBY) instructional program. Pregnancy symptoms by trimester were tabulated giving percentages of symptoms in six areas for each trimester. The CBY PIPAS data was also correlated with CBY maternal/fetal outcome data to determine if illness-proneness, stress, or Cornell Psychiatric Items (CPI) have significant effect on maternal/fetal outcome of pregnancy. Significance was found between complications of labor and delivery, postpartum or baby problems, and the general adaptational stress of pregnancy in the first and third trimesters. Hours of first stage of labor were significantly correlated with symptom-proneness, two areas of pregnancy symptoms in the second trimester, and neuromuscular symptoms in the third trimester.