Voices of Women With Emergency Cesarean Section Experience: A Qualitative Approach

Abstract

The midwifery psychoeducation, relationship with the midwives, feelings from the surgery, and delivery expectations are major factors that affect the birth experiences of mothers following an emergency cesarean section. This study aimed to give voice to mothers to express the feelings they had before, during, and after an emergency cesarean section and primarily to express whether their expectations were met after the surgery. The research was conducted on mothers who gave birth through an emergency cesarean section in a public hospital by completing specific questionnaires. This study was carried out with 15 mothers. The data was collected through a semi-structured questionnaire form, including socio-demographic characteristics. From the research, four main themes and 11 sub-themes emerged. The main themes described are "midwifery psychoeducation," "relationship with the midwives," "feelings from the C-section," and "delivery expectations." The majority of women did not attend parenting preparation classes either because they did not consider it necessary or because they were unaware of their existence. The presence of a midwife remains valuable during the perinatal period for most mothers. However, feelings vary between fear, shock, terror, disappointment, pain, and in some cases happiness. In the majority of cases, emergency cesarean section did not meet the expectations of mothers, who described it as a violent and sudden experience. The results highlight the need to strengthen midwives in order to promote psychosocial education, support during childbirth, and counseling for traumatic experiences.

Keywords: birth trauma; cesarean section; delivery expectations; midwifery psychoeducation; postpartum period.

Figure 1. Visual map