Patients’ perception of childbirth according to the delivery method: The experience in our clinic

Journal of Mind and Medical Sciences Volume 6 | Issue 2 Article 18 2019 Patients’ perception of childbirth according to the delivery method: The experience in our clinic Camelia Alexandroaia Romina-Marina Sima Oana-Denisa Bălălău Gabriel-Octavian Olaru Liana Pleş Follow this and additional works at: https://scholar.valpo.edu/jmms Part of the Life Sciences Commons, Mental and Social Health Commons, and the Obstetrics and Gynecology Commons Recommended Citation Alexandroaia, Camelia; Sima, Romina-Marina; Bălălău, Oana-Denisa; Olaru, Gabriel-Octavian; and Pleş, Liana (2019) "Patients’ perception of childbirth according to the delivery method: The experience in our clinic," Journal of Mind and Medical Sciences: Vol. 6 : Iss. 2 , Article 18. DOI: 10.22543/7674.62.P311318 Available at: https://scholar.valpo.edu/jmms/vol6/iss2/18 This Research Article is brought to you for free and open access by ValpoScholar. It has been accepted for inclusion in Journal of Mind and Medical Sciences by an authorized administrator of ValpoScholar. For more information, please contact a ValpoScholar staff member at . https://scholar.valpo.edu/jmms/ https://proscholar.org/jmms/ ISSN: 2392-7674 J Mind Med Sci. 2019; 6(2): 311-318 doi: 10.22543/7674.62.P311318 Received for publication: April 2, 2019 Accepted: July 14, 2019 Research article Patients’ perception of childbirth according to the delivery method: The experience in our clinic Camelia Alexandroaia1, Romina-Marina Sima1,2, Oana-Denisa Bălălău1,2, GabrielOctavian Olaru1,2, Liana Pleş1,2 1 2 Carol Davila University, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Bucharest, Romania St. John Emergency Hospital- Bucur Maternity, Bucharest, Romania Abstract Introduction: The aim of this study is to identify the way in which childbirth in general, and the delivery method in particular, influenced the maternal psychosocial status and the perception upon birth during postpartum. Material and method: We conducted a cohort type 2 prospective study. We included patients who had given birth at “Bucur” Maternity of Hospital “St. John” Bucharest from the 1st of January 2017 until the 1st of January 2018. Results: The majority of the patients (21.05%) who chose to give birth vaginally assigned the maximum degree (10) to the difficulty of birth. The patients who gave birth through cesarean section experienced the feeling of sadness in a higher percentage than those who gave birth vaginally (30.52% versus 21.05%). Among the patients who were in favor of having more children, 85.45% preferred the same delivery method. All the patients who gave birth vaginally wished to have other children using the same method, while 81.4% from the patients who gave birth through cesarean section were in favor of more children. Conclusion: The patients’ perception of childbirth was a subjective parameter. Further studies with standardized questionnaires should be applied for more reliable results. Keywords  Highlights ✓ Patients who gave birth vaginally assigned the maximum degree to the difficulty of birth, compared with patients who gave birth through cesarean section. vaginal delivery, cesarean section, lactation, sadness, primiparous ✓ Patients who gave birth through cesarean section experienced the feeling of sadness more than those who gave birth vaginally. To cite this article: Camelia Alexandroaia, Romina-Marina Sima, Oana-Denisa Bălălău, GabrielOctavian Olaru, Liana Pleş. Patients’ perception of childbirth according to the delivery method: The experience in our clinic. J Mind Med Sci. 2019; 6(2): 311-318. DOI: 10.22543/7674.62.P311318 *Corresponding author: Romina-Marina Sima, Carol Davila University, St. John Emergency Hospital- Bucur Maternity, Bucharest, Romania, 040294 E-mail: Camelia Alexandroaia et al. Introduction The experience of birth depends on many factors, some related to the newborn (weight, gender, Apgar score), others related to the mother (age, status of primiparity or multiparity, gestational age, delivery method, perceived difficulty, complications, pain intensity, mobilization, lactation, and psychological status), and some related to the healthcare system (chosen delivery method, peripartum support). Obstetrical events can have a long-term psychological impact upon women. Certain behaviorrelated and socio-demographic factors have been associated with maternal depression and changes during subsequent life (1). Furthermore, birth-related memories by a mother may have a long-term influence on her mental status and influence her decision regarding future childbearing (2). Several experimental studies on laboratory animals have attempted to anticipate postpartum stress. Their results report that peripartum pregnancy-induced stress interacts with maternal behavior in ways that may have major consequences on the offspring. In humans, severe peripartum stress may cause postpartum depression or other maternal behavioral disorders (3), with the reported incidence of postpartum depression about 13% (4). The first pregnancy may have more consequences for the mother than the second or the third pregnancy, as the first pregnancy is associated with additional risks of peripartum depression that result from the mother's lack of experience or insufficient preparation for such an event. This idea is supported by studies that reveal that depression is less frequent in couples who attended parenting courses Although the concept of postpartum depression was introduced in the literature (5) as early as 1950, with many subsequent confirmations, the puzzle is why some women develop postpartum depression or psychological disorders and others do not. Psychological risk factors associated with postpartum depression include a personal history of depression, anxiety or low social support, and recent negative life events. Depression also occurs more often in women who experience financial difficulties, a family member’s death, or domestic violence. Furthermore, women with psychosis have a rebound risk of up to 90% (5). Interestingly, the timing of motherhood appears not to be a major factor for postpartum depression, as a large cohort study of young Australian women evaluating the relationship between mental health-related quality of life and sociodemographic, health behavior, and health-related variables revealed good adaptation to situations and improved quality of life through early adulthood regardless of the timing of motherhood (6). In general, research indicates that the peripartum period can represent a challenging time for young women. They might, for example, experience an easy birth associated with fetal complications, or maternal 312 complications related to vaginal or cesarean section, or none of these, but the psychological impact of the experience, no matter what it is, may be significant for some women. The aim of this study was to identify how the birth experience in general, and the delivery method in particular, influences maternal (...truncated)