After the hospitalization procedures were completed, the pregnant women in the control group were informed and their written consents were obtained. No intervention was performed on these pregnant women other than routine hospital practices. Data collection forms were applied.

While the pregnant woman was in the lithotomy position, massage was applied with two fingers and rhythmic U-shaped movements starting from the side walls 3-4 cm inside the vagina and towards the rectum. This implementation was done for 10 minutes in three stages according to cervical dilatation. It was applied when the cervical dilatation was 3-4 cm, 5-7 cm, and 8-10 cm.

Sterile compresses kept in hot water of 40 C were placed on the perineum. Compresses that cooled down and became dirty were changed every 5-8 minutes. This implementation was done for 30 minutes in three stages according to cervical dilatation. It was applied when the cervical dilatation was 3-4 cm, 5-7 cm, and 8-10 cm.

When the cervical dilatation was 3-4 cm, 30 minutes of warm compress and 10 minutes of perineal massage were performed. These two methods were applied when the cervical dilatation was 5-7 cm and 8-10 cm as well.

While the pregnant woman was in the lithotomy position, massage was applied with two fingers and rhythmic U-shaped movements starting from the side walls 3-4 cm inside the vagina and towards the rectum. This implementation was done for 10 minutes in three stages according to cervical dilatation. It was applied when the cervical dilatation was 3-4 cm, 5-7 cm, and 8-10 cm.

The Socio-Demographic and Obstetric Data Form was used to determine the socio-demographic and obstetric characteristics of the participants. This form, created by the investigators, includes 15 questions on age, height, weight, education level, and gestational week of the pregnant women, the way pregnancy occured, and the health problems experienced during pregnancy.

The First and Second Stage of Labor Data Form and the Newborn Data Form were used to note down the applications performed on the pregnant woman during the first and second stages of labor and on the newborn after delivery. The form created by the investigators following the review of the literature consists of three parts. In the first part, there are questions regarding the applications such as dilatation, wiping, drugs used in the first stage, amniotomy, and bladder catheterization performed when the pregnant woman is admitted into the delivery room. In the second part, there are questions on the application of local anesthesia in the second stage of labor, protection of the perineum, and the type of pushing. The third part consists of questions regarding the height, weight and APGAR measurement of the newborn. This form includes 33 questions in total.

The Childbirth Comfort Scale (CCS) is used to determine the comfort level at birth. This scale is a 5-point Likert type scale and consists of 14 items. Each item is rated between 1-5 (1: Strongly disagree, 2: Mostly disagree, 3: Partially agree, 4: Mostly agree, 5: Completely agree). The scale has a four-factor structure: physical, psychospiritual, social and environmental.

The Birth Satisfaction Scale (BSS) is used to evaluate birth satisfaction. This scale is a 5-point Likert-type scale and consists of 30 items. The three main themes of the scale are quality of care, personal characteristics of the women, and stress experienced during childbirth. A minimum of 30 and a maximum of 150 points can be obtained from the scale. Higher scores indicate higher levels of satisfaction.