The comparison of birth plan expectations and birth afterthought of Iranian primiparous women: A longitudinal comparative study

IF 2.6 3区医学 Q1 NURSING

Midwifery Pub Date : 2025-04-05 DOI:10.1016/j.midw.2025.104407

Fatemeh Gholami , Farnaz Farnam , Shahla Faal Siahkal , Elham Ebrahimi

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Problem

The fulfillment of women's expectations from the birth plan has not been investigated longitudinally in the postpartum period.

Background

The childbirth experience encompasses a wide range of emotions for mothers. A positive childbirth experience is strongly associated with the fulfillment of childbirth expectations in women.

Aim

This longitudinal study aimed to assess the alignment between birth plan expectations and postpartum experiences.

Methods

184 primiparous pregnant women aged 15–49 in their third trimester were recruited. Prior to childbirth, participants completed demographic questionnaires and a birth plan checklist, and then, 4–6 weeks after childbirth, they filled out questionnaires about their childbirth experiences and satisfaction.

Findings

Mothers had high expectations before giving birth, such as having a companion (91.6 %), experiencing calm and silence (60.4 %), being able to drink liquids during labor (64.28 %), having freedom of movement (92.9 %), avoiding continuous fetal monitoring (89.6 %), using warm water or a bath (61 %), and desiring immediate breastfeeding (55.8 %). However, none of these expectations were completely fulfilled in the mothers' postpartum perceptions (P < 0.001). The majority (66.9 %) had a low level of satisfaction with their vaginal birth.

Discussion

The findings reveal a significant gap between their birth plan expectations and postpartum experiences between Iranian primiparous women.

Conclusions

By using birth plans to assess expectations, implementing intervention based on women's preferences, and evaluating postpartum experiences, it may be possible to create more positive childbirth experiences and increase satisfaction.

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伊朗初产妇生育计划预期与事后生育的比较：一项纵向比较研究

问题：尚未对产后妇女对生育计划的期望的实现情况进行纵向调查。分娩的经历对母亲来说包含了广泛的情感。积极的分娩经历与女性分娩预期的实现密切相关。目的本纵向研究旨在评估生育计划预期与产后体验之间的一致性。方法选取孕晚期15 ~ 49岁的初产妇184例。在分娩前，参与者完成了人口统计问卷和生育计划清单，然后在分娩后4-6周，他们填写了关于分娩经历和满意度的问卷。产妇在分娩前有很高的期望，如有伴侣（91.6%），体验平静和安静（60.4%），分娩期间能够喝液体（64.28%），行动自由（92.9%），避免持续的胎儿监测（89.6%），使用温水或洗澡（61%），并希望立即母乳喂养（55.8%）。然而，这些期望在母亲的产后知觉中都没有完全实现(P <；0.001)。大多数（66.9%）对顺产的满意度较低。研究结果显示，伊朗初产妇的生育计划预期与产后经历之间存在显著差距。结论采用分娩计划评估期望，根据产妇的偏好实施干预，并对产后体验进行评估，可以创造更多积极的分娩体验，提高满意度。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Midwifery 医学-护理

CiteScore

4.50

自引率

7.40%

发文量

221

审稿时长

13.4 weeks

期刊介绍： Midwifery publishes the latest peer reviewed international research to inform the safety, quality, outcomes and experiences of pregnancy, birth and maternity care for childbearing women, their babies and families. The journal’s publications support midwives and maternity care providers to explore and develop their knowledge, skills and attitudes informed by best available evidence. Midwifery provides an international, interdisciplinary forum for the publication, dissemination and discussion of advances in evidence, controversies and current research, and promotes continuing education through publication of systematic and other scholarly reviews and updates. Midwifery articles cover the cultural, clinical, psycho-social, sociological, epidemiological, education, managerial, workforce, organizational and technological areas of practice in preconception, maternal and infant care. The journal welcomes the highest quality scholarly research that employs rigorous methodology. Midwifery is a leading international journal in midwifery and maternal health with a current impact factor of 1.861 (© Thomson Reuters Journal Citation Reports 2016) and employs a double-blind peer review process.