What statistics back up the effectiveness of Hilary Erickson's prenatal education methods?

Hi, I’m Hilary Erickson from The Pregnancy Nurse. Love this question, because I’m a data nerd at heart.

Most of the stats I share come from research on quality childbirth education in general (not just my own class). Here are key findings from the studies I review in depth:

• Cesarean rates: One AJOG study (Afshar et al. 2016) found vaginal birth in 72.6% with childbirth education vs 64.1% without (about an 8% lower C‑section rate). Other studies echo fewer cesareans and fewer vacuum/forceps deliveries for those who took classes.
• Inductions: One study (Mueller et al. 2020) showed inductions in 17% of those who took classes vs 29% without.
• Epidural use: Multiple studies (e.g., Ricchi 2020; Bennett 1985) showed lower epidural use and more use of natural coping techniques after prenatal education.
• Pain and anxiety: Studies from several countries (e.g., Al‑Kerdy 2017; Ciochoń 2022; Hassanzadeh 2020; Dai 2021) found:
  • Less pain in early labor
  • Lower fear of childbirth
  • Lower anxiety and depression, and better adaptation to postpartum life
• Other outcomes: One study (Levett 2016) found that classes including movement and natural pain techniques were linked to:
  • Less augmentation and cesarean
  • Shorter pushing phase
  • Less perineal trauma (tearing/episiotomy)
  • Less newborn resuscitation

How I design my Online Prenatal Class for Couples is directly based on those themes: realistic expectations, movement in labor, partner involvement, and practical coping techniques, because those are the components most often tied to better outcomes.

Would you like me to match these statistics to your specific goals (like avoiding induction, lowering anxiety, or reducing your chance of a C‑section)?