Are we meeting mothers' expectations at time of birth?

Abstract

Mothers have certain expectations about their antenatal care and delivery. Their satisfaction depends whether these expectations are met or not. As would be expected, these expectations and needs differ from one mother to another and so it is always difficult to meet everyone's satisfaction. Childbirth is a life event and it should provide the mothers with a sense of personal fulfilment and satisfaction. Health care providers should be aware of the events which provide the mothers with full satisfaction of their childbearing experience. This study was envisaged so as to give mothers the opportunity to express their views regarding the service which should make us aware if we are meeting their expectations and if not what changes should be implemented. The study involved 200 mothers randomly selected during September 1994, who delivered normal or by emergency caesarean section so that they had the possibility to spend more time in labour ward and so could express their views better. The results show that the absolute majority (98.0 %) of the mothers were satisfied with care provided, but their views made us aware about areas on which we should improve.