Table 1 Cognitive counseling content of each session

Session 1: Welcoming and introducing the group members to each other, clarifying team working and confidentiality, familiarity with regulations, declaring purposes and how to prepare the sessions.

Session 2: Encourage the participants to declare their stress about delivery, fear about possible injuries to mother and infant, high risk interventions, pain, financial problems, affecting changes, and new responsibilities. The participants attended to all subjects worries.

Session 3: Through asking open questions and getting responses, the information of the participants about delivery were taken, then the incorrect information was modified via presenting accurate data to the participants and giving a response to wrong data. In this session we met the worries of subjects by answering the questions and offering some information about the physiology and anatomy of pregnancy.

Session 4: Relaxation methods were educated through asking purposeful questions and

responding to wrong information

Session 5: Regarding previous sessions, in this stage we tried to stabilize the positive change in mind by giving additional information

Session 6: For reducing stress and anxiety and enhancing the power and calmness, we assisted the participants in supporting the pregnant woman by imaging the feelings of a delivery situation, accompanied by thinking about favorable and desirable events after delivery.