Childbirth Support Research Articles

Life events, social support and depression in childbirth: perspectives from a rural community in the developing world

High rates of depression associated with childbirth have been reported in many parts of the developing world. However, the prevalence and associations of antenatal and post-natal depression in the rural population remain unknown. Disability associated with depression and its impact on infant health and development could have important public health implications for many developing countries where large proportions of the population are rural. All women living in southern Kahuta, Pakistan, in their third trimester of pregnancy were interviewed at 6 weeks before delivery (N = 632) and again at 10-12 weeks after delivery (N = 541), using WHO Schedule for Clinical Assessment in Neuropsychiatry (SCAN), Personal Information Questionnaire (PIQ) and Brief Disability Questionnaire (BDQ). The point prevalence of ICD-10 depressive disorder was 25% in the antenatal period and 28 % in the post-natal period. Depressed mothers were significantly more disabled, had more threatening life events, and poorer social and family support than non-depressed mothers. Vulnerable mothers were more likely to be depressed during pregnancy, rather than have an onset in the post-natal period. Over one-quarter of mothers in a rural sub-district of Pakistan suffer from depression shortly before and after childbirth. Rapidly changing traditional family structures and practices may be increasing the risk of depression in many women. Recognizing and treating depression should be initiated during the antenatal, rather than post-natal period.

A definição do acompanhante no parto: uma questão ideológica?

Discursos médicos, jurídicos e sanitaristas reconhecem a importância que tem a presença do acompanhante no parto. Porém, a definição dessa personagem varia nos diversos discursos em pauta. Descrevemos padrões de acompanhamento na cena do parto em um serviço de saúde 'alternativo' com uma proposta de parto ambulatorial realizado fora do hospital, assistido por obstetrizes, discutindo sua relação com as diferentes formas de sociabilidade, inclusive de relações de gênero, existentes entre as mulheres e os homens de distintas origens sociais que freqüentavam esse serviço. Por fim, discutimos os limites impostos, sobretudo pela legislação estadual de São Paulo e pelo Estatuto da Criança e do Adolescente, ao leque de 'opções' de acompanhante(s) elegidas pelas parturientes e aos membros de suas redes de relações.

Childbirth advice literature as it relates to two childbearing ideologies.

Childbirth advice literature as it relates to two childbearing ideologies.

‘I Am Not a Patient, and I Am Not a Child’: The Institutionalization and Experience of Pregnancy

In this article the focus is on how the relation between the self and body is formulated in medical/healthcare discourses and how these affect the experiences of pregnant women. I draw on data collected during research on the self-image of young mothers, analyses of booklets and handouts distributed to pregnant women, and interviews conducted both on individual and group bases with young mothers. I argue that the normalizing tendencies identified in the booklets strip women of their agency. However, pregnant women do not always position themselves in terms of maternal normativities. Their accounts of pregnancy and childbirth both support and challenge the knowledge that underpins the practices of medical/healthcare institutions. Their position as agents matters a great deal for them and affects the extent to which they experience pregnancy and childbirth positively or negatively.

Behavioural Associations of Pregnancy Complications

Research into the aetiology of pregnancy complications has concentrated on physiological and psycho-social variables. With the exception of research into preparation for childbirth and social support during pregnancy, little attention has been given to the influence of maternal behaviour or attitudes on pregnancy outcome. The present study has examined, in an exploratory manner, the association of some maternal behaviour and attitudes with obstetric difficulties.Data were obtained from 551 women. Exploratory statistical analysis of the 152 variables measured suggests that behaviour and attitudes that reflect a denial of the difficulties occurring frequently during pregnancy may be associated with obstetric complications. On the other hand, an acknowledgement of negative aspects of pregnancy appears to be less strongly related to obstetric difficulties.