Objective To explore the effects of prenatal education based on Swanson's care theory combined with relaxation training on the fear of childbirth in primiparous women.

Methods A total of 63 primiparas were selected as the research subjects by convenience sampling, and randomly divided into the observation group (31 cases) and control group (32 cases). The routine prenatal examinations and health education were given in the control group. In the observation group, the prenatal education based on Swanson's care theory combined with relaxation training was implemented. The fear of childbirth, self-efficacy during childbirth, salivary cortisol levels, childbirth outcomes and postpartum depressive mood status were compared between two groups.

Results At 37 weeks of gestation, the score of fear of childbirth in the observation group was lower than that in control group (P ＜ 0.05), the score of self-efficacy during childbirth was significantly higher than that in control group (P ＜ 0.01), and the level of salivation cortisol was significantly lower than that in control group (P ＜ 0.01). The proportion of cesarean section in the observation group was lower than that in control group (P ＜ 0.05). There was no statistical significance in the duration of labor and 1-minute Apgar score of newborns between two groups (P ＞ 0.05). After 6 weeks of delivery, the scores of fear of childbirth and postpartum depression in the observation group were both lower than those in control group (P ＜ 0.05).

Conclusions The comprehensive intervention program of prenatal education combined with relaxation training based on Swanson's care theory is helpful to reduce the fear of childbirth and level of salival cortisol during pregnancy in primiparas, improve the self-efficacy of childbirth, reduce the rate of cesarean section, alleviate postpartum depression, and is conducive to promoting the health of mothers and infants.