A prospective cohort study of post-traumatic stress disorder and maternal-infant bonding after first childbirth

Posttraumatic stress disorder prevalence and childbirth: update meta-analysis after the introduction of the DSM-5 and COVID-19 pandemic

PURPOSE

Meta-analyses were previously performed to estimate PTSD prevalence in the postpartum period. Significant events that could impact this outcome occurred in the last decade, such as the publication of the DSM-5 in 2013 and the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. This systematic literature review with a meta-analysis addressed studies published after 2014 to estimate PTSD prevalence after childbirth.

METHOD

The methodological guidelines recommended by PRISMA were followed. The meta-analysis estimate was the proportion of PTSD cases. The restricted maximum likelihood (REML) was the method adopted for estimation in addition to multilevel random effect models. Subgroup analyses were performed to assess the impact of interest variables.

RESULTS

The estimated prevalence was 0.10 (95%CI: 0.8-0.13; I2 = 98.5%). No significant differences were found regarding the introduction of the DSM-5 (p = 0.73) or COVID-19 (p = 0.97), but instead, between low- and middle-income countries, e.g., the Middle East presents a higher prevalence (p < 0.01) than European countries.

CONCLUSIONS

There is a potential increase in PTSD prevalence rates after childbirth in the last decade not associated with the pandemic or the current diagnostic classification. Most studies showed a methodological fragility that must be overcome to understand this phenomenon better and support preventive actions and treatment for puerperal women.

The Social Context of Pregnancy, Respectful Maternity Care, Biomarkers of Weathering, and Postpartum Mental Health Inequities: A Scoping Review

Background: Mental health disorders are the number one cause of maternal mortality and a significant maternal morbidity. This scoping review sought to understand the associations between social context and experiences during pregnancy and birth, biological indicators of stress and weathering, and perinatal mood and anxiety disorders (PMADs). Methods: A scoping review was performed using PRISMA-ScR guidance and JBI scoping review methodology. The search was conducted in OVID Medline and Embase. Results: This review identified 74 eligible English-language peer-reviewed original research articles. A majority of studies reported significant associations between social context, negative and stressful experiences in the prenatal period, and a higher incidence of diagnosis and symptoms of PMADs. Included studies reported significant associations between postpartum depression and prenatal stressors (n = 17), socioeconomic disadvantage (n = 14), negative birth experiences (n = 9), obstetric violence (n = 3), and mistreatment by maternity care providers (n = 3). Birth-related post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) was positively associated with negative birth experiences (n = 11), obstetric violence (n = 1), mistreatment by the maternity care team (n = 1), socioeconomic disadvantage (n = 2), and prenatal stress (n = 1); and inverse association with supportiveness of the maternity care team (n = 5) and presence of a birth companion or doula (n = 4). Postpartum anxiety was significantly associated with negative birth experiences (n = 2) and prenatal stress (n = 3). Findings related to associations between biomarkers of stress and weathering, perinatal exposures, and PMADs (n = 14) had mixed significance. Conclusions: Postpartum mental health outcomes are linked with the prenatal social context and interactions with the maternity care team during pregnancy and birth. Respectful maternity care has the potential to reduce adverse postpartum mental health outcomes, especially for persons affected by systemic oppression.

The concept analysis of parent-infant bonding during pregnancy and infancy: a systematic review and meta-synthesis

INTRODUCTION

Despite the emerging body of literature on mother-to-infant bonding and the associated variables, there are various definitions of bonding construct. Also, there is a lack of a comprehensive conceptual framework of antecedents and consequences of bonding that would guide empirical work.

OBJECTIVE

Aim of the study was to provide a systematic review and synthesis of concept analysis studies on maternal-foetal, mother-infant, or father-infant bonding.

METHOD

A systematic search was performed in PubMed, EBSCOHost (including PsycINFO), ProQuest, and CINAHL. In addition, a hand search was conducted. Papers were eligible for inclusion if they conducted concept analyses on mother or father to foetus/infant bonding. A qualitative meta-synthesis was applied to synthesise the findings.

RESULTS

Eight papers on concept analyses were eligible for inclusion. In meta-synthesis, six aspects of parent-to-(unborn) child bonding emerged, including direction, domain, process, timing, endurance, and parental gender. Defining attributes are (i) a close relationship, (ii) filled with positive parental affection, (iii) manifested during pregnancy as monitoring foetal development and behaviour and after childbirth in proximity and interaction. Antecedents, affecting factors, and consequences of the parent-child bonding have been summarised.

CONCLUSION

Parent-infant bonding refers to an emotional, behavioural, cognitive, and neurobiological tie of the parent to the (unborn) child, as a process from intention to have a child throughout infancy. This is a parental-driven process which can continue to evolve throughout child's and parent's life, characterised as enduring, committed, and engaged. Based on meta-synthesis, a conceptual structure of parent-infant bonding has been provided, which needs further empirical testing.

"I was able to take it back": Seeking VBAC after experiencing dehumanizing maternity care in a primary cesarean

In this article, we present findings from a qualitative narrative analysis that examined the pregnancy, primary cesarean, and subsequent birth experiences of women in the United States. Using a maximal variation sampling strategy, we recruited participants via social media and networking to participate in semistructured interviews. Twenty-five women from diverse backgrounds and geographic locations across the U.S. participated, eight self-identified as racialized and seventeen as non-Hispanic, White. Data were analyzed iteratively using Clandinin and Connelly's approach to Narrative Inquiry. Across their narratives, participants described their experiences of maternity care that were either generally negative (dehumanizing care) or positive (humanized care). They further described how their experiences of dehumanizing or humanized care impacted their decision-making for subsequent births, mental health, relationships with the healthcare system, early parenting birth satisfaction, and family planning. Findings suggest that regardless of ultimate mode of birth, what was most important to women was how they are treated by their maternity care team. We suggest practice changes that may improve the experience of maternity care for primary cesarean and subsequent births, especially among those made marginal by systems of oppression.

Birth related PTSD and its association with the mother-infant relationship: A meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE

There is a growing body of research showing that birth related posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms may impact the mother-infant relationship. The present study assessed the strength of the association between birth related PTSD symptoms and the mother-infant relationship.

METHOD

A total of twelve studies (5,572 participants) were included based on database searches using PubMed, EBSCO and ProQuest.

RESULTS

The findings showed that greater levels of birth related PTSD symptoms were associated with poorer mother-infant relationship, r = -0.36, 95% CI: [-0.43 - -0.28], random effects model. The outcomes appeared to be heterogeneous (Q(11) = 81.63, p <.001, tau2 = 0.0123, I2 = 80.73%), despite all outcomes being in the same direction as the overall outcome.

CONCLUSIONS

The results indicated that birth related PTSD symptoms are negatively associated with the mother-infant relationship. Further investigation into the prevention of birth related trauma is suggested. Improving birthing experiences for mothers is likely to contribute to improved infant mental health, thereby reducing overall social and economic costs.

Women's experiences of changes to childbirth and parenting education in Australia during the COVID-19 pandemic: The birth in the time of COVID-19 (BITTOC) study

OBJECTIVE

As changes to Childbirth and Parenting Education (CBPE) classes during the COVID-19 pandemic remain unexplored in Australia, our objective was to understand how changes to CBPE in Australia during the COVID-19 pandemic impacted on women's birth and postnatal experiences.

METHODS

Survey responses were received from 3172 women (1343 pregnant and 1829 postnatal) for the 'Birth In The Time Of Covid-19 (BITTOC)' survey (August 2020 to February 2021) in Australia. One of the survey questions asked women if they had experienced changes to CBPE class schedules or format during the pandemic, with a follow up open ended text box inviting women to comment on the impact of these changes. The majority of women experienced changes to CBPE, with only 9 % stating they experienced no changes to classes. A content analysis was undertaken on the 929 open text responses discussing the impact these changes had on women's experience of pregnancy, birth and postpartum.

RESULTS

929 women (29 %) made 1131 comments regarding changes to CBPE classes during the pandemic. The main finding 'I felt so unprepared', highlights how women perceived the cessation or alteration of classes impacted their birth preparation, with many reporting an increased sense of isolation. Some women reported feeling 'It was good enough' with adequate provision of online classes, and others feeling 'I was let down by the system' due to communication and technological barriers.

CONCLUSIONS

Results highlight the importance of ensuring continued provision of hybrid/online childbirth education models to enable versatility during times of crisis. Gaps in service provision, communication and resources for childbirth and parenting education need addressing.

The mediation role of resilience and postpartum traumatic stress disorder on parental attachment and the maternal-infant bonding

AIMS

This study aimed to evaluate the correlation between parental attachment, resilience, postpartum traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and maternal-infant bonding at 1 to 3 months postpartum. The mediation effect of resilience and PTSD on the postpartum parental attachment and maternal-infant bond was also evaluated.

DESIGN

A cross-sectional research design was used.

METHODS

A total of 400 postpartum women examined at a tertiary hospital in Wuhan from January 2021 to June 2021 were enrolled in the study. At about 1 to 3 months after giving birth, the women were asked to complete the Postpartum Bonding Questionnaire (PBQ), Connor-Davidson Resilience scale(CD-RISC), PTSD CheckList-Civilian version (PCL-C), and the Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI). The data were summarized using descriptive statistics. Mediation analyse and the Spearman correlation (r) were used to correlate the resilience and PTSD questionnaire scores.

RESULTS

The care attachment dimension was significantly associated with resilience (r = 0.24, p < 0.01), PTSD (r = - 0.27, p < 0.01), and maternal-infant bonding (r = 0.10, p < 0.01), and the overprotection attachment dimension was significantly associated with resilience (r = - 0.11, p < 0.01), PTSD (r = 0.33, p < 0.01), and maternal-infant bonding (r = 0.16, p < 0.01). Resilience and PTSD can mediate the relationship between attachment and maternal-infant bonding.

CONCLUSION

Parental attachment, resilience, and PTSD significantly affect maternal-infant bonding at 1 to 3 months postpartum.

IMPACT

This study demonstrated that new interventions aimed at addressing PTSD symptoms and improving resilience might increase parental attachment and maternal-infant bonding after birth. However, further research is required to evaluate the success of these interventions.

Postpartum Mood and Anxiety Disorders: A Lexicon of Metaphors

Undiagnosed and untreated postpartum mental health disorders represent a silent health crisis. The aim of this paper was to develop a lexicon of metaphors women use to describe their postpartum mood and anxiety disorders to assist holistic nurses in recognizing as early as possible these struggling mothers. Mothers may not know the medical terminology to articulate their mental health problems and may turn to using metaphors. The metaphors included in this lexicon were obtained from the author's earlier qualitative studies of metaphors women used to describe their experiences of postpartum depression, postpartum panic disorder, and posttraumatic stress disorder due to traumatic childbirth. In this lexicon these metaphors are organized by these three mental health disorders and includes a table of definitions of each metaphor along with examples of the context of the metaphors represented by quotes from the mothers. Metaphors can be keys that open and unlock doors that stand between holistic nurses and their patients. Being attentive to metaphorical language women use to describe how they are feeling after giving birth can be an innovative approach holistic nurses can use to identify these vulnerable women and provide an opportunity to nurture and empower new mothers.

The Relation between Neonatal Intensive Care Units and Postpartum Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder after Cesarean Section

BACKGROUND

The experience of a neonate hospitalized in the NICU is an understandably traumatic experience for parents, especially for the mothers of neonates. This mental distress resulting from preterm birth and/or NICU hospitalization can be understood as post-traumatic symptomatology, according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5 version). The aim of this study is to investigate the impact of the admission of a neonate to the NICU (forany reason) on the development of postpartum PTSD in a sample of women after cesarean section.

METHODS

A total of 469 women who gave birth with cesarean section from July 2019 to June 2020 participated in this study out of the original sample of 490 women who consented to participate. Data were obtained from the researcher's socio-demographic questionnaire and the post-traumatic stress checklist (PCL-5) from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders DCM-5 version.

RESULTS

In total,11.7% of the sample experienced postpartum PTSD. There is a strong relationship between the inclusion of a neonate to the NICU due to perinatal stress, breathing difficulties, infections, and IUGR with postpartum PTSD (37.7%) in relation to the perinatal stress Criterion A (fear for the life of the neonate), the first criterion of postpartum PTSD.

CONCLUSIONS

Additional measures must be taken for mothers of children who have been admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit with psychological support interventions and a reassessment of their mental state.

Past Traumatic Life Events, Postpartum PTSD, and the Role of Labor Support

The aim of this study was to investigate the association of postpartum post-traumatic stress disorder (PP-PTSD) symptoms and subjective rates of traumatic birth experience with past traumatic life events (physical and sexual assault, child abuse, perinatal loss, previous traumatic birth experience, and the cumulative traumatic experience). A sample of Russian women (n = 2579) who gave birth within the previous 12 months, filled in a web-based survey, where they reported demographic and obstetric characteristics and past traumatic experiences, evaluated their birth experience (0 = not traumatic, 10 = extremely traumatic), and completed the City Birth Trauma Scale (CBiTS). We found that PP-PTSD symptoms were higher among women who previously experienced physical (F = 22.02, p < 0.001) and sexual (F = 15.98, p < 0.001) assault and child abuse (F = 69.25, p < 0.001), with only associations with child abuse (F = 21.14, p < 0.001) remaining significant for subjective rates of traumatic birth experience. Perinatal loss and previous traumatic birth showed moderate but inconsistent effects. Support during labor did not have a buffering effect for participants with past traumatic experiences but showed a universally protective effect against PP-PTSD. Trauma-informed practices and allowing women to have a supportive birth team of choice during childbirth are promising avenues to minimize the incidence of PP-PTSD and improve the childbirth experience for all women.

Effect of the maternal childbirth experience on a subsequent birth: a retrospective 7-year cohort study of primiparas in Finland

OBJECTIVE

To study the effect of the childbirth experience on the likelihood and interval to a subsequent live birth.

DESIGN

Retrospective analysis of a 7-year cohort.

SETTING

Childbirths in Helsinki University Hospital delivery units.

PARTICIPANTS

All parturients giving birth to a term and living baby from a single pregnancy in Helsinki University Hospital delivery units from January 2012 to December 2018 (n=120 437). Parturients delivering their first child (n=45 947) were followed until the birth of a subsequent child or the end of 2018.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE

The interval to a subsequent childbirth connected to the experience of the first childbirth was the primary outcome of the study.

RESULTS

A negative first childbirth experience decreases the likelihood of delivering a subsequent child during the follow-up (adjusted HR=0.81, 95% CI 0.76 to 0.86) compared with those experiencing the first childbirth as positive. For parturients with a positive childbirth experience, the median interval to a subsequent delivery was 3.90 years (3.84-3.97) compared with 5.29 years (4.86-5.97) after a negative childbirth experience.

CONCLUSION

The negative childbirth experience influences reproductive decisions. Consequently, more focus should be placed on understanding and managing the antecedents of positive/negative childbirth experiences.

Maternal and newborn plasma oxytocin levels in response to maternal synthetic oxytocin administration during labour, birth and postpartum - a systematic review with implications for the function of the oxytocinergic system

BACKGROUND

The reproductive hormone oxytocin facilitates labour, birth and postpartum adaptations for women and newborns. Synthetic oxytocin is commonly given to induce or augment labour and to decrease postpartum bleeding.

AIM

To systematically review studies measuring plasma oxytocin levels in women and newborns following maternal administration of synthetic oxytocin during labour, birth and/or postpartum and to consider possible impacts on endogenous oxytocin and related systems.

METHODS

Systematic searches of PubMed, CINAHL, PsycInfo and Scopus databases followed PRISMA guidelines, including all peer-reviewed studies in languages understood by the authors. Thirty-five publications met inclusion criteria, including 1373 women and 148 newborns. Studies varied substantially in design and methodology, so classical meta-analysis was not possible. Therefore, results were categorized, analysed and summarised in text and tables.

RESULTS

Infusions of synthetic oxytocin increased maternal plasma oxytocin levels dose-dependently; doubling the infusion rate approximately doubled oxytocin levels. Infusions below 10 milliunits per minute (mU/min) did not raise maternal oxytocin above the range observed in physiological labour. At high intrapartum infusion rates (up to 32 mU/min) maternal plasma oxytocin reached 2-3 times physiological levels. Postpartum synthetic oxytocin regimens used comparatively higher doses with shorter duration compared to labour, giving greater but transient maternal oxytocin elevations. Total postpartum dose was comparable to total intrapartum dose following vaginal birth, but post-caesarean dosages were higher. Newborn oxytocin levels were higher in the umbilical artery vs. umbilical vein, and both were higher than maternal plasma levels, implying substantial fetal oxytocin production in labour. Newborn oxytocin levels were not further elevated following maternal intrapartum synthetic oxytocin, suggesting that synthetic oxytocin at clinical doses does not cross from mother to fetus.

CONCLUSIONS

Synthetic oxytocin infusion during labour increased maternal plasma oxytocin levels 2-3-fold at the highest doses and was not associated with neonatal plasma oxytocin elevations. Therefore, direct effects from synthetic oxytocin transfer to maternal brain or fetus are unlikely. However, infusions of synthetic oxytocin in labour change uterine contraction patterns. This may influence uterine blood flow and maternal autonomic nervous system activity, potentially harming the fetus and increasing maternal pain and stress.

Identifying women with postdelivery posttraumatic stress disorder using natural language processing of personal childbirth narratives

BACKGROUND

Maternal mental disorders are considered a leading complication of childbirth and a common contributor to maternal death. In addition to undermining maternal welfare, untreated postpartum psychopathology can result in child emotional and physical neglect and associated significant pediatric health costs. Some women may experience traumatic childbirth and develop posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms after delivery (childbirth-related posttraumatic stress disorder). Although women are routinely screened for postpartum depression in the United States, there is no recommended protocol to inform the identification of women who are likely to experience childbirth-related posttraumatic stress disorder. Advancements in computational methods of free text have shown promise in informing the diagnosis of psychiatric conditions. Although the language in narratives of stressful events has been associated with posttrauma outcomes, whether the narratives of childbirth processed via machine learning can be useful for childbirth-related posttraumatic stress disorder screening is unknown.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to examine the use of written narrative accounts of personal childbirth experiences for the identification of women with childbirth-related posttraumatic stress disorder. To this end, we developed a model based on natural language processing and machine learning algorithms to identify childbirth-related posttraumatic stress disorder via the classification of birth narratives.

STUDY DESIGN

Overall, 1127 eligible postpartum women who enrolled in a study survey during the COVID-19 pandemic provided short written childbirth narrative accounts in which they were instructed to focus on the most distressing aspects of their childbirth experience. They also completed a posttraumatic stress disorder symptom screen to determine childbirth-related posttraumatic stress disorder. After the exclusion criteria were applied, data from 995 participants were analyzed. A machine learning-based Sentence-Transformers natural language processing model was used to represent narratives as vectors that served as inputs for a neural network machine learning model developed in this study to identify participants with childbirth-related posttraumatic stress disorder.

RESULTS

The machine learning model derived from natural language processing of childbirth narratives achieved good performance (area under the curve, 0.75; F1 score, 0.76; sensitivity, 0.8; specificity, 0.70). Moreover, women with childbirth-related posttraumatic stress disorder generated longer narratives (t test results: t=2.30; p=.02) and used more negative emotional expressions (Wilcoxon test: sadness: p=8.90e-04; W=31,017; anger: p=1.32e-02; W=35,005.50) and death-related words (Wilcoxon test: p=3.48e-05; W=34,538) in describing their childbirth experience than those with no childbirth-related posttraumatic stress disorder.

CONCLUSION

This study provided proof of concept that personal childbirth narrative accounts generated in the early postpartum period and analyzed via advanced computational methods can detect with relatively high accuracy women who are likely to endorse childbirth-related posttraumatic stress disorder and those at low risk. This suggests that birth narratives could be promising for informing low-cost, noninvasive tools for maternal mental health screening, and more research that used machine learning to predict early signs of maternal psychiatric morbidity is warranted.

Factors associated with labor after cesarean in a prospective cohort

BACKGROUND

The goals of this study were (a) to determine how experiences in the first perinatal period shape birth mode preference among individuals with a first birth by cesarean; and (b) to examine the relationship between birth mode preference and other factors and subsequent labor after cesarean (LAC).

METHODS

Data are from the First Baby Study, a prospective cohort of 3006 primiparous individuals. The analytic sample includes individuals with a first cesarean birth and a second birth during the 5-year follow-up period (n = 394). We used multivariable logistic regression to examine the relationship between experiences in the first perinatal period and subsequent preference for vaginal birth, and between preference for vaginal birth and LAC in the second birth.

RESULTS

About a third of the sample preferred vaginal birth in a future birth, and 20% had LAC. Factors associated with higher odds of future vaginal birth preference were favorable prenatal attitude toward vaginal birth, lower perceived maternal-infant bonding at 1 month after the first birth, post-traumatic stress symptoms after the first birth, and desiring more than 1 additional child after the first birth. Odds of LAC were nearly 8 times higher among those who preferred vaginal birth (AOR = 7.69, P < .001). Fatigue after the first birth, post-traumatic stress symptoms after the first birth, and having higher predicted chances of vaginal birth after cesarean were also associated with higher odds of LAC.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings suggest that the formation of preferences around vaginal birth may present a modifiable target for future counseling and shared decision-making interventions.

Childbirth related PTSD and its association with infant outcome: A systematic review

INTRODUCTION

Maternal postnatal mental health problems may negatively impact child development. Postpartum research has mainly focused on the impact of maternal depression and anxiety due to their high prevalence (13-25 % and 10-18 %, respectively). However, maternal childbirth-related PTSD (CB-PTSD) could be another important risk factor in child development (estimated prevalence: 4.7 %).

OBJECTIVE

We investigated whether maternal CB-PTSD (symptoms) are associated with a negative mother-child relationship and/or child developmental outcome for children aged 0-5 years. Furthermore, we examined whether maternal trauma-focused therapy can positively impact mother and child outcomes.

METHODS

We performed a systematic review by searching three databases (Embase, Medline, PsycInfo). Search terms involved: 'birth or delivery modes', 'PTSD psychological trauma', and 'child development or child behavior'. Two independent reviewers evaluated all eligible papers.

RESULTS

Thirty-five papers (30 samples) were included and qualitatively reported. Results suggest a negative association of maternal CB-PTSD (symptoms) with mother-infant attachment and child behavior. However, confounding factors may explain this association. The evidence on associations with breastfeeding, sleeping, socio-emotional development, and weight gain is insufficient. Research investigating the effect of maternal trauma-focused therapy on a child's outcome is scarce, contradictory, and of low quality.

CONCLUSION

This systematic review suggests that maternal CB-PTSD may be associated with an increased number of problems in mother-infant attachment and child behavior, but other domains remain scarcely investigated and methodologic issues are present (cross-sectional study design, influence of confounding variables, sample representativeness, diversity in assessment tools). Our results support a multidisciplinary approach to providing early prevention and screening of the maternal mental health state.

Person-Centered Maternity Care and Health Outcomes at 1 and 6 Months Postpartum

Objectives: Person-centered care has been increasingly recognized as an important aspect of health care quality, including in maternity care. Little is known about correlates and outcomes of person-centered care in maternity care in the United States. Materials and Methods: Data were from a prospective cohort of more than 3000 individuals who gave birth to a first baby in a Pennsylvania hospital. Person-centered maternity care was measured via a 13-item rating scale administered 1-month postpartum. Content validity was established through exploratory factor analysis. The resulting scale had scores ranging from 13 to 54, with Cronbach's alpha of 0.86. Using linear and logistic regression models to control for covariates, we examined associations between participants' characteristics and person-centered maternity care and between person-centered maternity care and postpartum outcomes. Results: Participants had a mean total score of 47.80 on the person-centered maternity care scale. Patient factors independently associated with more person-centered maternity care included older age, more positive attitude toward vaginal birth during pregnancy, and spontaneous vaginal birth. In adjusted models, higher person-centered maternity scale scores were strongly associated with many positive physical and mental health outcomes at 1 and 6 months postpartum. Conclusions: Our findings underscore the importance of person-centered maternity not just due to its intrinsic value but also because it may be associated with both mental and physical health outcomes through the postpartum period. Results suggest that policy efforts are necessary to ensure person-centered maternity care, especially for delivery hospitalization experience.

Inequities in quality perinatal care in the United States during pregnancy and birth after cesarean

Objective

High-quality, respectful maternity care has been identified as an important birth process and outcome. However, there are very few studies about experiences of care during a pregnancy and birth after a prior cesarean in the U.S. We describe quantitative findings related to quality of maternity care from a mixed methods study examining the experience of considering or seeking a vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC) in the U.S.

Methods

Individuals with a history of cesarean and recent (≤ 5 years) subsequent birth were recruited through social media groups to complete an online questionnaire that included sociodemographic information, birth history, and validated measures of respectful maternity care (Mothers on Respect Index; MORi) and autonomy in maternity care (Mother’s Autonomy in Decision Making Scale; MADM).

Results

Participants (N = 1711) representing all 50 states completed the questionnaire; 87% planned a vaginal birth after cesarean. The most socially-disadvantaged participants (those less educated, living in a low-income household, with Medicaid insurance, and those participants who identified as a racial or ethnic minority) and participants who had an obstetrician as their primary provider, a male provider, and those who did not have a doula were significantly overrepresented in the group who reported lower quality maternity care. In regression analyses, individuals identified as Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) were less likely to experience autonomy and respect compared to white participants. Participants with a midwife provider were more than 3.5 times more likely to experience high quality maternity care compared to those with an obstetrician.

Conclusion

Findings highlight inequities in the quality of maternal and newborn care received by birthing people with marginalized identities in the U.S. They also indicate the importance of increasing access to midwifery care as a strategy for reducing inequalities in care and associated poor outcomes.

Identifying Women with Post-Delivery Posttraumatic Stress Disorder using Natural Language Processing of Personal Childbirth Narratives

Background

Maternal mental disorders are considered a leading complication of childbirth and a common contributor to maternal death. In addition to undermining maternal welfare, untreated postpartum psychopathology can result in child emotional and physical neglect, and associated significant pediatric health costs. Some women may experience a traumatic childbirth and develop posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms following delivery (CB-PTSD). Although women are routinely screened for postpartum depression in the U.S., there is no recommended protocol to inform the identification of women who are likely to experience CB-PTSD. Advancements in computational methods of free text has shown promise in informing diagnosis of psychiatric conditions. Although the language in narratives of stressful events has been associated with post-trauma outcomes, whether the narratives of childbirth processed via machine learning can be useful for CB-PTSD screening is unknown.

Objective

This study examined the utility of written narrative accounts of personal childbirth experience for the identification of women with provisional CB-PTSD. To this end, we developed a model based on natural language processing (NLP) and machine learning (ML) algorithms to identify CB-PTSD via classification of birth narratives.

Study Design

A total of 1,127 eligible postpartum women who enrolled in a study survey during the COVID-19 era provided short written childbirth narrative accounts in which they were instructed to focus on the most distressing aspects of their childbirth experience. They also completed a PTSD symptom screen to determine provisional CB-PTSD. After exclusion criteria were applied, data from 995 participants was analyzed. An ML-based Sentence-Transformer NLP model was used to represent narratives as vectors that served as inputs for a neural network ML model developed in this study to identify participants with provisional CB-PTSD.

Results

The ML model derived from NLP of childbirth narratives achieved good performance: AUC 0.75, F1-score 0.76, sensitivity 0.8, and specificity 0.70. Moreover, women with provisional CB-PTSD generated longer narratives (t-test results: t=2 . 30, p=0 . 02 ) and used more negative emotional expressions (Wilcoxon test: 'sadness': p=8 . 90e- ⁰⁴ , W=31,017 ; 'anger': p=1 . 32e- ⁰² , W=35,005 . 50 ) and death-related words (Wilcoxon test: p=3 . 48e- ⁰⁵ , W=34,538 ) in describing their childbirth experience than those with no CB-PTSD.

Conclusions

This study provides proof of concept that personal childbirth narrative accounts generated in the early postpartum period and analyzed via advanced computational methods can detect with relatively high accuracy women who are likely to endorse CB-PTSD and those at low risk. This suggests that birth narratives could be promising for informing low-cost, non-invasive tools for maternal mental health screening, and more research that utilizes ML to predict early signs of maternal psychiatric morbidity is warranted.

The Impact of Mode of Birth on Childbirth-Related Post Traumatic Stress Symptoms beyond 6 Months Postpartum: An Integrative Review

(1) Background: A traumatic birth can lead to the development of childbirth-related posttraumatic stress symptoms or disorder (CB-PTS/D). Literature has identified the risk factors for developing CB-PTS/D within the first six months postpartum thoroughly. However, the impact of mode of birth on CB-PTS/D beyond 6 months postpartum is scarcely studied. (2) Methods: A systematic search of the literature was conducted in the databases PubMed, Embase and CINAHL and PRISMA guidelines were followed. Studies were included if they reported the impact of mode of birth on CB-PTS/D beyond 6 months postpartum. (3) Results: In total, 26 quantitative and 2 qualitative studies were included. In the quantitative studies the percentage of women with CB-PTS/D ranged from 0.7% to 42% (between six months and five years postpartum). Compared with vaginal birth, operative vaginal birth, and emergency caesarean section were associated with CB-PTS/D beyond 6 months postpartum. Qualitative studies revealed that some women were suffering from CB-PTS/D as long as 18 years after birth. (4) Conclusions: Long- term screening of women for PTSD in the postnatal period could be beneficial. More research is needed on models of care that help prevent CB-PTS/D, identifying women at risk and factors that maintain CB-PTS/D beyond 6 months postpartum.

The association between epidural analgesia during labor and mother-infant bonding

STUDY OBJECTIVE

This study was aimed to assess the association between the use of epidural analgesia during labor and mother-infant bonding.

DESIGN

A cross-sectional study.

SETTING

Maternity ward at Soroka University Medical Center during 2020.

PATIENTS

Women who delivered a singleton live-born infant vaginally in their immediate post-partum period.

INTERVENTIONS

Women completed questionnaires. 25 items post-partum bonding questionnaire (PBQ) to assess mother-infant bonding (A high score on the PBQ indicates impaired mother-infant bonding) and the Edinburgh postnatal depression scale (EPDS) questionnaire to assess risk for post-partum depression.

MEASUREMENTS

The study used PBQ questionnaire and four sub-scales to assess mother-infant bonding and the EPDS questionnaire to assess risk for post- partum depression. Generalized linear regression models (gamma) were constructed to examine the association between epidural analgesia and mother-infant bonding total score and impaired bonding sub- scale, while adjusting for confounders Additional information such as pregnancy complications and sociodemographic data was drawn from women's medical records.

MAIN RESULTS

A total of 234 women were included in the final analysis, of them 126 (53.8%) delivered with epidural analgesia. The total PBQ score was significantly lower among women who received epidural analgesia compared to women without epidural analgesia (7.6 vs. 10.2, p = 0.024), demonstrating a better mother -infant bonding. Using two multivariable linear regression models, controlling for confounders such as maternal age and educational status, epidural analgesia during labor was independently associated with a better mother -infant bonding total score and better impaired bonding sub-scale score (Beta coefficient-0.252, 95% CI -0.5; -0.006, p = 0.045 and Beta coefficient - 0.34, 95% CI -0.52; -0.08, p = 0.01 for mother-infant bonding total score and sub-scale score, respectively). No differences in post-partum depression risks were found between the groups (EDPS≥13, 5.7% vs. 13%, p = 0.058).

CONCLUSION

Our study demonstrated better mother -infant bonding among women delivering with epidural analgesia.

Postpartum bonding and association with depressive symptoms and prenatal attachment in women with fear of birth

Background

Co-morbidity is prevalent in women with fear of birth. Depressive symptoms and lack of prenatal attachment might influence the postpartum bonding between the mother and the new-born.

Aim

To examine the underlying dimensions of the Postpartum Bonding Questionnaire and to investigate associations between depressive symptoms, prenatal attachment and postpartum bonding in women with fear of birth.

Methods

A longitudinal study comprising 172 women with fear of birth. Data were collected by questionnaires in mid- and late pregnancy and two months after birth. The Edinburgh Postnatal Depressive Scale, Prenatal Attachment Inventory and Postpartum Bonding Questionnaire were investigated.

Results

Two factors of the Postpartum Bonding Questionnaire were identified: Factor 1 mirrored caring activities and the women’s perceptions of motherhood, whereas Factor 2 reflected negative feelings towards the baby. The Postpartum Bonding Questionnaire was negatively correlated with the Prenatal Attachment Inventory and positively with The Edinburgh Postnatal Depressive Scale.

Women with fear of birth and depressive symptoms both during pregnancy and postpartum showed the highest risk of impaired bonding after birth. Primiparity and being single were also associated with impaired bonding.

Conclusion

A focus on women’s mental health during pregnancy is necessary in order to avoid the negative effects of impaired bonding on the infant. Depressive symptoms could be concurrent with fear of birth and, therefore, it is important to determine both fear of birth and depressive symptoms in screening procedures during pregnancy. Caregivers who meet women during pregnancy need to acknowledge prenatal attachment and thereby influence adaptation to motherhood.