Women and Adulthood - Research Paper Example

? Expectations, Attitudes and experiences of Childbirth of Expectations and Experiences of Pregnant Women During thewhole time of pregnancy from conception up to delivery period, women go through different experiences and also have different expectations in reaction to the pregnancy and the whole process of giving birth. Different anxieties come along and women have their own methods of dealing with them from personal levels to consultations by physicians and therapists. Pregnant women always develop a positive attitude towards delivery and hope that the infant will come to mature successfully without developing any complications in the womb and have a safe delivery that guarantees perfect health conditions for both the mother and the new born. Despite fear of painful child delivery, this attitude has been changed by the intervention of medics to introduce epidural anesthesia. This paper will look at the different experiences and expectations and attitudes that are associated with pregnancy. Approaches to childbirth by mothers Different psychological approaches were taken by pregnant women that included cognitive, emotional and behavioral aspects in relation to child bearing and motherhood. By observation from behavior of women in a considerable period of time, first time mothers and mature mothers who had delivered before behaved in a typically different way as most of experienced women in motherhood showed a lot of maturity and confidence during this period. The two groups had two different approaches where one group took child birth as a natural, normal and exciting event and because of this they intimately handle child birth alone and also expect that the transitional period to be all that natural because of the baby and so avoid the intervention of maternal doctors and midwives. These can be termed as the facilitators group. Another group also, the regulators have their own attitudes and the view pregnancy as an event that comes with a lot of pain and wish that this period passes by faster. The view this period as dangerous and tiresome because of that labor pain associated with it. They also have contradicting orientations and some may adopt a wait – and – see attitude without having a formulated plan for their delivery process. One common thing however between the two groups is that thy view this period as a stressful and exciting time all together. Participants and methods Methods The study was carried out by observing the psychological experiences of pregnant women in a series of interviews and administration of questionnaires where data was collected and the background data was also analyzed and described. Procedure While conducting the study, anonymity was highly regarded together with strict observation on the ethical considerations which is why all women interviewed were above 18 years of age and were free to discuss openly their experience of childbirth. The study involved women at different stages of their pregnancies from the first tri semester of 8 – 51 weeks up to the delivery period of 36 weeks. The aims and objectives were first informed to the participants who were 10 in number. The questionnaires were administered according to the pregnancy stages and were to be posted by the respondents. All the 10 women cooperatively participated in the research. Participants The women who participated were collected by random sampling while at the pre – natal clinics visit and had been in marriages before so as to determine whether there were any psychological effects upon the woman from the other partner inn the marriage. Information was collected whether their current pregnancies were planned or by accident, whether they conceived through natural means or technological means, their maternal ages and also their education and employment status. Most of the participants were married and had passed secondary education. 7 of the women were employed and were earning a desirable wage that could sustain their families. 8 women said that their pregnancies were planned while two reported that their pregnancies were not planned but they were comfortable in carrying them. Obstetric outcome The outcome was collected from the patients record in the facility since they were registered as pre – natal patients and the following information was to be collected in the study: whether the participants had gone for observation before conception and if the saw physicians during labor for those who had delivered before, whether the labor was induced and also whether the doctors used epidural anesthesia during the delivery process. Information whether episiotomy was done on the participants was also collected as well as the delivery type whether it was spontaneous or caesarean. The following questions were asked in order to get the information required; 1. Is this your first pregnancy? 2. Have you attended pre – natal clinics before, and if any how many times? 3. Did you get any moral support from your partner during the pregnancy? 4. During the delivery period, were you feeling nervous or relaxed just waiting for the baby to come? 5. Was the child birth prepared or spontaneous? 6. Was the pregnancy induced by oxytocin, if yes how difficult was the experience? 7. Was episiotomy conducted to enlarge the birth canal, if yes how difficult was the experience? 8. Did you go through caesarean section during childbirth, if yes how was the experience? Results The expectations and experiences 3 out of the 10 women interviewed were having their first pregnancy delivery while the others were having subsequent deliveries in the facility. They reported positive moral support from their partners in relation to the pregnancy. Most women in the group were feeling nervous although they had given birth before and expected the experience to be painful. 4 women had undergone augmentation to deliver the child and did not experience much pain compared to 2 women who had undergone episiotomy. 1 woman had undergone caesarean and reported severe post – natal pains in the abdomen, reporting the experience to be simple but a bit stressful afterwards. The pregnant women who had undergone augmentation to stimulate the child canal contractions and used oxytocin for inducing purposes were found to have childbirth more difficult compared to those that underwent episiotomy as well as those who went through caesarean section. Those who underwent the caesarean section reported to experience less labor pain compared to those that underwent the episiotomy process. Here is a sample from one of the respondents. 1. Second pregnancy 2. Yes, over 5 times since it is in the 30th week of gestation. 3. My husband has been supportive in every way possible for the sake of our child. 4. There was some nervousness although not so much. 5. It was prepared although the amniotic sac burst at an unexpected time. 6. The medics used oxytocin to help stimulate contractions and delivery was normal without much struggles. 7. After giving syntocinon, they performed episiotomy and delivery was done easily. 8. No. Discussion In the study, both pre – natal and post – natal expectations were investigated and many women confirmed that their fears were high towards the last end of the delivery period which turned out to be an easier experience than expected. These psychological effects associated with childbirth had caused stereotypes which conversely affected their attitudes toward the whole pregnancy process. Conclusion By summary, a relationship was found to exist between child expectations and experiences during the pregnancy period and the actual delivery process. These finding give a clear relation and framework in giving an understanding on how to connect the expectations, attitudes and the actual experience of childbirth. References Shetty, A., Burt, R., Rice, P., & Templeton, A. (2005). Women’s perceptions, expectations and satisfaction with induced labor – A questionnaire-based study. European Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology Waldenstrom, U., Bergman, V., & Vasell, G. (1996). The complexity of labor pain: Experiences of 278 women. Journal of Psychosomatics and Obstetrics and Gynecology Read More