The Couples’ Birth Experiences and Influencing Factors

Abstract

Objective: The birth experience profoundly changes couples’ lives. The husband's role in the birth experience is to provide emotional and physical support to his wife. However, complex emotions can be experienced in the first births due to uncertainties. While birth can be positive for many couples, it can also be negative for many couples. In this context, the aim of this study was to determine the birth experiences of primiparous women and their husbands. Methods: This descriptive study included 350 couples who experienced their first birth between March 2020 and March 2021. The study was conducted in a mother-friendly hospital in Istanbul that allows spousal participation at birth. Data were collected face-to-face using a general information form and Birth Experience Questionnaire (BEQ). Data were analyzed using SPSS. Results: The mean age of the mothers was 23.60±2.69 years. The total mean BEQ scores of the mothers and their spouses were 37.89±3.25 and 46.28±5.02, respectively (p=0.00). Couples’ birth experiences were significantly associated with birth interventions. Episiotomy, enema, labor induction, emergency cesarean section, no skin-to-skin contact, and no early breastfeeding caused an increase in the negative birth experience scores of couples (p=0.000). As the BEQ total score of the mothers increased, the BEQ total score of the fathers also increased (p=0.000, r=0.57). Conclusion: In this study, participants had a neutral to slightly negative experience. Labor interventions were associated with a negative birth experience. During the antenatal period, both women and their spouses should receive training and support for possible interventions at birth and emotion management.