Pain Relief during Labor: Attitudes of Postpartum Mothers in Selected Hospitals in Ibadan, Nigeria

Abstract

Background & aim: Giving birth is a painful process, which exposes women to a lot of stress. It is the responsibility of the healthcare practitioners to make this process less burdensome. In this regard, the present study aimed to investigate the attitudes of postpartum mothers towards labor pain relief. Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted on 153 females with spontaneous vaginal delivery within September to October of 2012. The study population was selected through convenience sampling technique. Data collection was performed using a semi-structured questionnaire. The data were analysed in SPSS (version 20), using descriptive statistics and Chi-square. P-value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: According to the results, 60.8% of the respondents had knowledge about pain relief in labor. However, 58.8% of the participants did not request for pain relief during labor because they believed that their pain could not be relieved. Women's attitude to labor pain relief showed a significant association with their age (P=0.001), education level (P=0.001), and parity (P=0.001). Conclusion: Based on the findings of the study, the midwives are recommended to provide the pregnant women with health education on labor pain relief and dispel any misconceptions in this regard.