Table 3.

Content of study protocol, similar for all groups.

Concept	Measurement and response alternatives
Mother
Pain during contraction	VAS, every 30 minutes for 5 hours, and then every hour until birth
Relaxation during contraction	VAS, every 30 minutes for 5 hours, and then every hour until birth
Pain localisation	Back/Abdomen/Groin. every 30 minutes for 5 hours, and then every hour until birth
Cervix dilatation and length	Cm 3 times during 5 hours
Contractions (duration/interval)	Seconds/Minutes 5 times during 5 hours
Details of intervention	Point selection from Table 2, duration of treatment, stimulation technique and stimulation frequency
Additional pain relief	Sterile water injections/TENS/Entonox/Opioid epidural and intrathecal analgesia/Pudendal nerve block/Paracervical block/Other
Midwives's evaluation of the treatment effect for pain relief and relaxation (MA and EA)	Very effective/Fairly effective/Not so effective/Not effective at all
Negative side effects (EA, MA)	Yes, if so, a description of the side effects/No
Augmentation of labour	Yes, if so, indication primary and secondary dystocia, other/No
Rupture of membranes/Amniotomy	Date/Time
Partus	Date/Time
Mode of delivery	Vaginal delivery/Vacuum extraction/Forceps/Emergency caesarean section
Perineal injury	Degree I–IV
Infant
Apgar score	1, 5 and 10 min
Birth weight	Grams
Arterial and venous blood gases	pH/Base Excess (umbilical cord samples)
Neonatal transfer	Yes/No

VAS: visual analogue scale, TENS: transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation, MA: manual acupuncture, EA: electroacupuncture.