"Alone, I wouldn't have known what to do": a qualitative study on social support during labor and delivery in Mexico
- PMID: 9681909
- DOI: 10.1016/s0277-9536(98)00077-x
"Alone, I wouldn't have known what to do": a qualitative study on social support during labor and delivery in Mexico
Abstract
This article presents some of the most relevant qualitative results of a trial to evaluate the effects of the provision of psychosocial support to first-time mothers during labor, childbirth and in the immediate postpartum period in a social security hospital in Mexico City. The article focuses on the experiences of mothers who have received psychosocial support from a doula (the term doula is used to identify a woman who provides continuous support to a woman during labor. delivery and the immediate postpartum period) and compares them with the experiences of those women who gave birth following normal hospital routine. Sixteen in-depth interviews were held with women in the immediate post partum period (eight of whom had been accompanied by a doula and eight who had not) before they were discharged from hospital, and the results were analyzed using qualitative techniques. The interviews showed that the women accompanied by a doula had a more positive childbirth experience. The differences between both groups related to their perceptions of the childbirth experience; the treatment they received from hospital staff; the information they were given and how well they understood it; their perception of hospital routines; their feelings about cesarean sections and, spatial and temporal perceptions. The most important difference between the two groups was the way they expressed their feelings about their own labor, their sense of control and their self-perception.
Similar articles
-
Effects of psychosocial support during labour and childbirth on breastfeeding, medical interventions, and mothers' wellbeing in a Mexican public hospital: a randomised clinical trial.Br J Obstet Gynaecol. 1998 Oct;105(10):1056-63. doi: 10.1111/j.1471-0528.1998.tb09936.x. Br J Obstet Gynaecol. 1998. PMID: 9800927 Clinical Trial.
-
The obstetrical and postpartum benefits of continuous support during childbirth.J Womens Health Gend Based Med. 1999 Dec;8(10):1257-64. doi: 10.1089/jwh.1.1999.8.1257. J Womens Health Gend Based Med. 1999. PMID: 10643833 Review.
-
Female relatives or friends trained as labor doulas: outcomes at 6 to 8 weeks postpartum.Birth. 2007 Sep;34(3):220-7. doi: 10.1111/j.1523-536X.2007.00174.x. Birth. 2007. PMID: 17718872 Clinical Trial.
-
A randomized controlled trial of continuous labor support for middle-class couples: effect on cesarean delivery rates.Birth. 2008 Jun;35(2):92-7. doi: 10.1111/j.1523-536X.2008.00221.x. Birth. 2008. PMID: 18507579 Clinical Trial.
-
Continuous female companionship during childbirth: a crucial resource in times of stress or calm.J Midwifery Womens Health. 2004 Jul-Aug;49(4 Suppl 1):19-27. doi: 10.1016/j.jmwh.2004.04.017. J Midwifery Womens Health. 2004. PMID: 15236700 Review.
Cited by
-
Saudi womens acceptance and attitudes towards companion support during labor: should we implement an antenatal awareness program?Ann Saudi Med. 2013 Jan-Feb;33(1):28-33. doi: 10.5144/0256-4947.2013.28. Ann Saudi Med. 2013. PMID: 23458937 Free PMC article.
-
Perceptions and experiences of labour companionship: a qualitative evidence synthesis.Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2019 Mar 18;3(3):CD012449. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD012449.pub2. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2019. PMID: 30883666 Free PMC article.
-
Effect of dance labor on the management of active phase labor pain & clients' satisfaction: a randomized controlled trial study.Glob J Health Sci. 2014 Mar 30;6(3):219-26. doi: 10.5539/gjhs.v6n3p219. Glob J Health Sci. 2014. PMID: 24762366 Free PMC article. Clinical Trial.
-
Testing the effect of an integrated-intervention to promote access to sexual and reproductive healthcare and rights among women with disabilities in Ghana: a quasi-experimental study protocol.Reprod Health. 2021 Oct 15;18(1):206. doi: 10.1186/s12978-021-01253-1. Reprod Health. 2021. PMID: 34654455 Free PMC article.
-
Postpartum doulas: motivations and perceptions of practice.Midwifery. 2011 Dec;27(6):e214-21. doi: 10.1016/j.midw.2010.09.006. Epub 2010 Nov 4. Midwifery. 2011. PMID: 21055853 Free PMC article.
Publication types
MeSH terms
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources
Medical