Escolha do tipo de parto: fatores relatados por puérperas

Facilitating childbirth choice for positive postnatal mental health well-being among women: a Namibian case study

Childbirth affects women in a myriad of ways including feelings of tiredness, being overwhelmed, stressed, and having baby blues, and if not attended to, this can lead to postpartum depression, which is a mental condition that can have disastrous effects. Childbirth can affect the mental and physical status of a woman and having supportive midwives who guide women by giving adequate information is an issue of critical concern for a positive birth experience. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has emphasised the need to facilitate childbirth choices for women as a means of having a safe and memorable experience as the experience in childbirth affects the psychological status of a woman. Some women may experience worry and anxiety during labour and childbirth, which may be exacerbated by bias and a lack of childbirth choice facilitation during pregnancy. A negative childbirth experience may lead to negative psychological distress and postpartum depression, which will interfere with the bond between the mother, baby, and family. Midwives, thus, need to understand the emotional aspects that are attached to childbirth and be able to facilitate and support the emotional as well as the psychosocial needs of women under their care. However, there is a dearth of empirical evidence within the Namibian context that can provide direction and context-specific solutions to the present challenge. The current study followed a qualitative research design with an exploratory approach with one-on-one interviews with 10 midwives who were purposively selected. The midwives' experiences in this study depicted their zeal towards the issue at hand; however, what stood out were some barriers in the facilitation of childbirth choices (theme 1) as they expressed the shortages of staff, the timing of information, information sharing, and cultural influences as some of their experiences in facilitating childbirth. Furthermore, midwives shared a lack of provision for childbirth choice (theme 2) as the rights of women were not observed, and a lack of women-centred care despite protocols and guidelines being there, and yet they are not adhered to. In conclusion, midwives as primary caregivers actively need to provide unbiased childbirth information to achieve positive postpartum health. Initiating childbirth choices early in pregnancy gives women the time to weigh options and clearing of any misconceptions relating to childbirth types as well as reducing anxiety and fear of birth, which could lead to postpartum depression and by extension, the mental well-being of the women. Facilitating childbirth choices is critical in positive birth experiences and the management of childbirth as well as crafting guidelines and policy formulation that ensure a mentally healthy woman and society.

Childbirth-choice facilitation experiences among women in selected public healthcare facilities in Namibia

AIM AND OBJECTIVE

To describe childbirth-choice facilitation through the experiences of women, and explore women's views on their experiences of childbirth-choice facilitation.

DESIGN

This qualitative exploratory study included 12 women who gave birth in selected public hospitals in different parts of Namibia during the study period. Purposive sampling was adopted to ensure that participants had sufficient knowledge of the subject under study. The research employed individual semi-structured in-depth interviews to understand women's experiences during childbirth facilitation. Data analysis followed the six steps as proposed by Creswell: preparation and organisation of data, exploration and coding of data, coding and building descriptions of the themes, presenting and reporting findings, interpreting the findings and validation of the accuracy of findings.

FINDINGS

Women's choices on type of childbirth were assumed as they did not receive full information pertaining to different modes. The research findings were grouped into two main themes and five sub-themes, as follows: childbirth-choice experience (lack of choice, lack of shared decision-making) and information-giving (information sources, preferred information, timing of information-giving). Women expressed that they had limited knowledge and/or information pertaining to types of childbirth as midwives provided little information about how they would give birth. The women also indicated that healthcare professionals made decisions for them without any clear explanation, and that they received information when it was too late and they were unable to process it.

KEY CONCLUSIONS

Women who gave birth in public hospitals reported a lack of choice regarding type of childbirth and a lack of shared decision-making. They would have preferred to receive balanced information about types of childbirth in advance in order to make informed decisions.

IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE

Health professionals need to provide information on types of childbirth to women early in antenatal care so that they understand the choices and can give informed consent regarding their chosen mode when the time comes. Previous experiences of women need to be solicited to guide the facilitation of current or subsequent pregnancies as a way of ensuring women-centred care.

Evaluation of labor and childbirth care by nurse-midwives in Brazilian private hospitals: results of a quality improvement project

BACKGROUND

In 2015, a quality improvement project-the "Adequate Childbirth Project" (Projeto Parto Adequado, or PPA)-was implemented in Brazilian private hospitals with the goal of reducing unnecessary cesarean sections. One of the strategies adopted by the PPA was the implementation of labor and childbirth care by nurse-midwives. The objective of this study is to evaluate the results of the PPA in the implementation and adequacy of labor and childbirth care by nurse-midwives in Brazilian private hospitals.

METHODS

Cross-sectional, hospital-based study, carried out in 2017, in 12 hospitals participating in the PPA. We assessed the proportion of women assisted by nurse-midwives during labor and childbirth care and the adequacy of 13 care practices following parameters of the World Health Organization. Women assisted in the PPA model of care and in the standard of care model were compared using the chi-square statistical test.

RESULTS

4798 women were interviewed. Women in the PPA model of care had a higher proportion of labor (53% × 24.2%, p value < 0.001) and vaginal birth (32.7% × 11.3%, p value < 0.001), but no significant differences were observed in the proportion of women assisted by nurse-midwives during labor (54.8% × 50.1%, p value = 0.191) and vaginal birth (2.2% × 0.7%, p value = 0.142). The implementation of recommended practices was adequate, except the use of epidural analgesia for pain relief, which was intermediate. There was a greater use of recommended practices including "oral fluid and food", "maternal mobility and position", "monitoring of labor", "use of non-pharmacological methods for pain relief" and "epidural analgesia for pain relief" in women assisted by nurse-midwives in relation to those assisted only by doctors. Many non-recommended practices were frequently used during labor by nurse-midwives and doctors.

CONCLUSIONS

There was an increase in the proportion of women with labor and vaginal birth in the PPA model of care and an appropriate use of recommended practices in women assisted by nurse-midwives. However, there was no difference in the proportion of women assisted by nurse-midwives in the two models of care. The expansion of nursing participation and the reduction of overused practices remain challenges.

Health care in the prenatal and childbirth context from puerperal women's perspective

OBJECTIVES

to investigate puerperal women who received guidance on childbirth during prenatal care and the behaviors experienced in the labor process within the context of good obstetric practices from the perspective of puerperal women.

METHODS

a descriptive cross-sectional quantitative study conducted with 203 puerperal women admitted to the shared rooms of a teaching hospital between May and July 2017 during the immediate postpartum period. For data collection, was used an instrument adapted from the hospital questionnaire for puerperal women that was developed by the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation.

RESULTS

only 48.3% of puerperal women received the eight orientations regarding good obstetric practices during prenatal care, which were not experienced in the labor process, especially regarding referral and behaviors of the hospital team. Unfavorable socioeconomic conditions were significant in relation to guidelines provided during prenatal care.

CONCLUSIONS

prenatal care was negatively evaluated and there was lack of compliance with good obstetric practices and non-recommended behaviors in the labor process in the maternity ward.

Perceptions and expectations of pregnant women about the type of birth

OBJECTIVE

to understand the perceptions and expectations of pregnant women about the type of birth.

METHOD

this is a qualitative research, based on the assumptions of the Humanization of Obstetric Care. 15 pregnant women were interviewed twice at the beginning and the end of gestation between October 2015 and May 2016. Data were analyzed according to the method of the Discourse of the Collective Subject.

RESULTS

the discourses were associated with four themes: Advantages of vaginal birth over cesarean section; Fear and unpredictability of vaginal birth; Importance of the doctor in the definition of the type of birth; and Influence of family and friends in choosing the type of birth.

FINAL CONSIDERATIONS

according to pregnant women, vaginal birth has more benefit compared to cesarean section. However, during gestation and birth, fear of pain and the unexpected, and medical opinions of friends and family against vaginal birth strongly influence the choice of cesarean section.

Autonomia da gestante na escolha do tipo de parto

Introdução: Inúmeros fatores estão envolvidos na tomada de decisão da mulher pelo tipo de parto a ser escolhido. Quando se trata da mulher primigesta, as experiências prévias não se fazem presentes, porém, outros fatores podem então influenciá-la na escolha pelo modo de parir. Objetivo: identificar a preferência da gestante primigesta quanto à via de parto, conhecer os fatores que influenciam a sua tomada de decisão nessa escolha, e as suas expectativas em relação ao parto mediante a via escolhida. Método: estudo descritivo com abordagem quantitativa realizado com 35 primigestas em acompanhamento pré-natal nas unidades públicas de saúde em um município do Sul de Minas Gerais, Brasil. A coleta de dados ocorreu em agosto e setembro de 2015 e utilizou um formulário semiestruturado. Resultados: predominou a escolha pela via de parto vaginal, a presença de expectativas positivas em relação a via escolhida e a não influência de terceiros sobre a tomada de decisão. Conclusão: a decisão da mulher na escolha da via de parto está se transformando em uma preferência e não apenas em uma indicação profissional, o que ressalta a importância da educação em saúde na consulta pré-natal.