Mothers' experiences of pain during childbirth

Abstract

The aim of this study was to explore and describe mothers' experiences of pain, its intensity and relief during childbirth. A small-scale, non-experimental retrospective study was conducted during the month of December 2008 in the General Hospital of Malta. The tool used in this mainly quantitative study consisted of a self-administered, semi-structured questionnaire. A convenience sample of 18 healthy primiparas and 18 healthy multiparas ranging in age from 18-35 years was used. A total of 36 women participated, yielding to 100% response rate. This research study described women's experiences of labour pain and measured its intensity within 36 hours following vaginal delivery. This study also sought to quantify the preferred pharmacological pain relief measures and their efficacy. The Numeric Rating Scale (Beilin et al., 2003) was the instrument used to assess the intensity of pain and the efficacy of analgesia. Moreover, the meaning of labour pain for the women experiencing it, and the global satisfaction with the experience of childbirth, were also studied. Close-ended questions were analysed using Microsoft Office EXCEL software (2007) and open-ended questions were analysed through content analysis. The parturients surveyed reported painful labour experiences. The mean pain intensity level during the first stage of labour was 7.33 for primiparas and 7.10 for multiparas whereas during the second stage, the mean pain intensity level was 7.59 for primiparas and 8.95 for multiparas. The majority of parturients (83.3%; n = 30) received pharmacological pain relief. Ofthese, 25 (83.3%) received entonox, 16 (53.3%) had used opioids (pethidine) and 5 (16.7%) had epidural. Pain relief was greatest in the women who received epidural analgesia, with pethidine receiving the lowest efficacy scores. Eighty-three percent were 'very satisfied' or 'satisfied' with the overall experience of childbirth. Midwifery support and the quality of the midwife-women relationship appeared to be so important to override the influence of pain. In conclusion, childbirth exposed the mothers to one of the most severe forms of pain reported. However, the majority was satisfied with the experience of childbirth. To get a better overview of the experience of childbirth, a longitudinal study that involves three observations, the first during the latter part of pregnancy and the other two within the first year postpartum, should be carried out.