Maternal Birth Satisfaction Research Articles

The Turkish version of the students’ perceptions of respectful maternity care scale: An assessment of psychometric properties

AimThe aim of the research was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Turkish validity and reliability of the Students’ Perceptions of Respectful Maternity Care (SP-RMC) scale. BackgroundRespectful maternity care is an important contributor to intrapartum care quality and maternal birth satisfaction. Determining students' perceptions of respectful maternity care can identify knowledge gaps and inform their future practice. DesignA descriptive, methodological and cross-sectional design was used. MethodsThis study was conducted with 226 undergraduate nursing and midwifery students in the western region of Turkey. Data were collected between May and December 2022 from students who completed their birth courses (theory and clinical practicum). Data included sociodemographic details and the Students' Perceptions of Respectful Maternity Care scale (Turkish version). Factor analysis, Cronbach's alpha and item-total score analyses were conducted. ResultsThe mean age of the students was 21.88 (SD 1.39). The average number of births observed was 2.57 (SD 3.16). The scale comprised 18 items including three subdimensions. In both exploratory and confirmatory factor tests, the overall factor loading was greater than 0.30, and the total explained variance was 64.89%. The Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of the scale was 0.91, with Cronbach’s alpha values ranging between 0.80 and 0.91 for the subscales. Pearson correlation coefficients of all the items ranged between 0.42 and 0.78. ConclusionsThe SP-RMC (Turkish version) is a valid and reliable measure, with 18 items and three dimensions. In this regard, measuring and reporting respectful maternity care perceptions and intrapartum care experiences of students, who are future members of the profession, could contribute to the improvement of the quality of care and the development of educational interventions for behavioral changes

Effects of Low Back Pain During The First Stage of Labor on Maternal Birth Satisfaction: A Cross Sectional Study

Objectives: Low back pain during labor may occur independently of uterine contractions and may continue without interruption during the labour process. In this study, the characteristics of this pain and its effects on birth satisfaction were evaluated. Material and Methods: The study was a cross-sectional study with recurrent measurements and consisted of women in the first stage of labor. Low-risk pregnant women in labor (n=300) were included in the study. Low back pain was repeatedly measured at the different phases of the first stage of the labor. The frequency and severity of low back pain, factors related to low back pain, and the effects of pain on maternal satisfaction were evaluated. Descriptive statistics, One-way ANOVA, Cochran's Q test, Logistic regression were used to evaluate the data. Results: The prevalence of low back pain in latent, active, and transitional phases were 38.6%, 60%, and 56.6% respectively. Mean pain score statistically, significantly increased from latent phase to active phase. Weight gain in pregnancy heightened body mass index, occiput posterior presentation, and dysmenorrhea was found to be related factors in low back pain. Maternal satisfaction scores were significantly higher in women without low back pain. Conclusion: Low back pain during labor is often overlooked. This study demonstrated the high frequency of low back pain during labor and its negative effects on birth satisfaction. Especially women with occiput posterior presentation, women with high body mass index and dysmenorrhea are at increased risk.

Female Relatives as Lay Doulas and Birth Outcomes: A Systematic Review.

Continuous labor support provided by professional doulas is associated with improved birth outcomes for pregnant women and their infants. However, there is limited data on the impact of using female relatives as lay doulas. This systematic review included nine published studies that examined the association between use of female relatives as lay doulas with childbirth outcomes. In some study populations, there was a decrease in the number of cesarean births and length of labor, and in all studies, there was improved maternal birth satisfaction. However, the woman's chosen female relative often did not receive education regarding labor support skills before providing continuous support. Educational programs designed to teach labor support skills to female relatives are needed.

Assessment of maternal birth satisfaction and intra-partum experiences among the women of rural areas of Tamil Nadu- a cross sectional study

Background: Childbirth, though a physiological process, has been associated with multiple risks and stress on the women, even before the time of conception till the post-partum. Every woman around the world has a right to receive respectful maternity care. Birth satisfaction and respectful maternal care has direct impact on percentage of institutional deliveries. There is paucity of studies conducted among the women of rural Tamil Nadu regarding birth satisfaction and intrapartum experiences.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in primary health center area, red hills among the post-partum women attending the immunization OPD at 6, 10 and 14th week after delivery during the months of March to June 2018. By simple random sampling technique 195 subjects were included. A semi-structured questionnaire was administered to collect the data. Ethical clearance was obtained from our Institutional Ethics Committee. Data was entered in MS Excel and analysis was done using SPSS Software version 23.Results: The study shows the importance of maternal satisfaction and intrapartum experiences of women in rural areas. It concluded that the overall satisfaction was 85.5%. The transport facility available at the health care set up which satisfied the mothers was around 91.4%. The interaction of health care providers with mothers during delivery was around 64.5%. Cleanliness and comfort of the delivery area was around 64%. Equality of care provided at the health care set up was around 83%.Conclusions: Reasons for delivery visit, duration of labour, and mode of delivery are independent predictors of maternal satisfaction.

The Effects of Cord Clamping Time and Early Skin-to-Skin Contact on Maternal Birth Satisfaction in Term Infants

Objective: Meeting the expectations of mothers during labor is defined as birth satisfaction. Evaluation of women’s perception of satisfaction at birth is an important quality criterion in the evaluation of services. This study aims to determine the effect of cord clamping time and early skin contact on maternal birth satisfaction.Methods: Randomized controlled experimental study. The study data were collected between June and December 2018, from a total of 80 participants.Results: Case group was applied late cord clamping and skin contact, control group was applied routine care. The first breastfeeding time was 11.20 ± 5.16 min. for the case group and 44.55 ± 18.03 min. for the control group (p<0.001). Neonatal blood glucose levels within the first 15 minutes were 91.23 ± 20.61 mg/dL for the case group and 83.13 ± 14.17 mg/dL for the control group (p=0.044). Hemoglobin levels of the newborn 24 hours after birth were 18.90 ± 1.58 g/dL for the case group and 18.13 ± 1.78 g/dL for the control group (p=0.042). The difference between the before and after birth hemoglobin-hematocrit values of the mothers was not statistically significant (p=0.327 for Hgb; p=0.238 fot Htc). Postpartum satisfaction levels of the mothers were found to be 106.28 ± 9.52 for the case group and 99.93 ± 13.17 for the control group; mothers at the case group had higher postpartum satisfaction levels (p=0.016).Conclusion: Late cord clamping and early skin contact in newborn positively affect the first breastfeeding time, hemoglobin, hematocrit and blood sugar levels of newborns and can be considered as an important factor that increases mothers’ satisfaction independent of many variables.

The effect of empathy training given to midwives on the empathic communication skills of midwives and the birth satisfaction of mothers giving birth with the help of these midwives: A quasi-experimental study.

Empathic attitudes and behaviours of midwives directly affect obstetric outcomes. The study aims to examine the effect of empathy training on the empathic communication skills of midwives and the childbirth satisfaction of primiparous mothers. This quasi-experimental study has two sample groups including midwives working in the delivery unit (n=15) and mothers giving birth with the help of these midwives (n=134). Empathy training was given to the midwives through a 32-hour program involving didactic narrative, creative drama, and psychodrama techniques. A "Descriptive Information Form," and the "Empathic Communication Skills" and "Empathic Tendencies" scales were used to collect data from the midwives, and another "Descriptive Information Form" and the "Scale for Measuring Maternal Satisfaction in Normal Birth" were used for the maternal data. Empathic communication skills and empathic tendencies of the midwives were found to be higher right after and 8 weeks after the training than before the training (P= .001, P= .040, respectively). The total score and sub-dimensions of the maternal satisfaction scale (ie, midwifery care, respect for privacy, meeting expectations, postpartum care) were found to be higher in mothers giving birth after the midwives' empathy training than those giving birth before (P< .001). A higher level of maternal birth satisfaction was seen in mothers giving birth right after the training (94%) than those giving birth before training (3%). The empathy training improved both the empathy skills of midwives, and translated to improved maternal satisfaction with birth among their mothers. It is recommended to increase the number of follow-ups to evaluate the long-term effect of empathy training.

Risk factors and racial disparities related to low maternal birth satisfaction with labor induction: a prospective, cohort study

BackgroundDecreased birth satisfaction has been associated with labor induction. Yet, there is a paucity of data evaluating risk factors for decreased satisfaction associated with labor induction. We aimed to determine what factors impact low birth satisfaction in labor induction and evaluate racial disparities in birth satisfaction.MethodsWe performed a prospective cohort study of women with term, singleton gestations undergoing labor induction at our institution from Jan 2018 to Jun 2018. Women completed the validated Birth Satisfaction Scale-Revised postpartum, which is subdivided into 3 domains: (1) quality of care provision, (2) women’s personal attributes, and (3) stress experienced during labor. A total satisfaction score above the mean was classified as “satisfied”, and below as “unsatisfied.” Domain and item scores were compared by race.ResultsThree hundred thirty of 414 (79.7%) eligible women were included. There was no significant difference in birth satisfaction by age, body mass index, Bishop score, or labor induction agent. Black women were 75% more likely to be unsatisfied than non-Black women (54.0% vs. 37.2%, OR 1.75 [95% CI 1.11–2.76], p = 0.037), nulliparas were 71% more likely to be unsatisfied than multiparas (54.2% vs. 40.9%, OR 1.71 [95% CI 1.09–2.67], p = 0.019), and women whose labor resulted in cesarean birth were almost 3 times more likely to be unsatisfied than women with a vaginal birth (67.4% vs. 42.3%, OR 2.82 [95% CI 1.69–4.70], p < 0.001). Additionally, increased labor length quartile was associated with decreased satisfaction >(p = 0.003). By race, domain 3 scores, which reflect preparedness for labor, were lower for Black women. No differences were seen for domain 1 or 2.ConclusionsBlack race, cesarean birth, and increasing labor length were identified as risk factors for low birth satisfaction among women who underwent labor induction. Further studies should explore interventions to target women at risk for low birth satisfaction.