First time mothers' satisfaction with care during labour

Abstract

The purpose of carrying out this small-scale descriptive study was to investigate first time mothers' satisfaction with midwifery care during labour and delivery. This was achieved by investigating if first time mothers were satisfied with different aspects of care during labour and delivery including: midwife's support, pain relief, information giving, maternal involvement in decision-making and control achieved during labour, so as to identify possible areas of care that could be improved. To achieve these aims and objectives a quantitative descriptive study was conducted among a convenience sample of 30 primigravid postpartum women who had had a normal vaginal delivery, using self-administered questionnaires. A response rate of 85.7% was achieved. Statistical analysis was used for quantitative data, while content analysis was used for qualitative data. The findings of this study highlighted that although there was a high overall satisfaction with care, many mothers were able to identify aspects of care with which they were dissatisfied and/or would like to see improved. These aspects included the provision of pain relief, information giving, the midwife's characteristics of being calm and attentive to the mother's needs, and assistance given to care for the infant after birth. The results suggest that it may be possible to improve maternal satisfaction with intrapartum care by modifying the care provided, especially in these identified areas. All aspects of care are discussed in light of research on the topic, along with several recommendations for further research and practice, such as the need for other local, in-depth, and larger studies on the subject and the need for midwives to provide more comprehensive care for the mother during the intrapartum period, achievable by accurate assessment of maternal needs.