Nthenge S, Smith L, Ho S, Mitra M. Experiences of Women of Short Stature During the Perinatal Period.
J Obstet Gynecol Neonatal Nurs 2022;
51:418-427. [PMID:
35550125 DOI:
10.1016/j.jogn.2022.03.006]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE
To explore the experiences of women of short stature, including women with dwarfism and osteogenesis imperfecta (OI), during the perinatal period.
DESIGN
Qualitative descriptive.
SETTING
Telephone interviews with women of short stature from across the United States.
PARTICIPANTS
Nine women of short stature, including five with dwarfism and four with osteogenesis imperfecta, between the ages of 18 and 55 years who gave birth within the last 10 years.
METHODS
We used reflexive thematic analysis to analyze interview data.
RESULTS
Four themes represented the participants' experiences during maternity care: Clinicians' Lack of Knowledge, Sources of Information and EmotionalSupport, Clinical Considerations: Effects of Pregnancy and Disability, and Accessibility Barriers and Adaptations. Participants experienced respiratory difficulties and preterm birth. They expressed concerns regarding the lack of clinician knowledge and experience in administering epidural anesthesia to women of short stature and highlighted the important role of disability organizations in disseminating information about childbirth for women with disabilities.
CONCLUSION
Childbearing women of short stature require disability-specific maternity care. Our findings highlight the need for disability education programs for nurse-midwives, nurses, physicians, and other clinicians who provide maternity care to women of short stature.
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