Mindfulness-Based Breathing Exercise on Health Profile, Vital Signs, and Fetal Heart Rate in Pregnant Women Diagnosed With Pre-Eclampsia: A Randomized Control Trial

Abstract

AIM: This study aimed to determine the effect of mindfulness-based breathing exercise on health profile, vital signs, and fetal heart rate in pregnant women diagnosed with pre-eclampsia. METHOD: This is a randomized controlled trial. Data were collected between October 1, 2023, and May 19, 2024, with a sample of 66 pregnant women who were randomly assigned to the mindfulness-based breathing exercise (n = 33) or control (n = 33) groups. The experimental group received 20 minutes of mindfulness-based breathing exercise every 8 hours for 72 hours. The primary outcomes of the study were health profile, vital signs, and basal fetal heart rate. Secondary outcomes of the study are health profile sub-dimensions and fetal movement count. RESULTS: Compared to the control group, a 59.2% positive increase over time in the health profile of the mindfulness-based breathing exercise group was observed. Additionally, there was a 10% decrease in pain, 11.4% decrease in emotional reactions, 80.7% increase in sleep quality, 13.3% decrease in social isolation, 38.8% increase in physical activity, and 87.1% increase in energy level, 9.8% decrease in mean pulse rate, 15.8% decrease in respiratory rate, 73.1% increase in oxygen saturation, 7% decrease in systolic blood pressure, and 6.4% decrease in diastolic blood pressure, 6.5% increase in mean fetal movement count was determined. At the fourth measurement, the experimental group had a higher mean basal fetal heart rate than the control group. CONCLUSION: Mindfulness-based breathing exercise can be safely used as a care intervention to improve the health profile of pregnant women with pre-eclampsia. © 2025 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.