Qualitative investigation of experiences and perception of primiparous women regarding childbirth in women referring to educational hospitals of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences

During the process of labor, women develop important experiences which will always remain with them through their lifetime. Quality of these experiences influences both mother’s and child’s health, their emotional connection and the mother’s sexual function in future. This qualitative study aimed at clarifying the primiparous women’s experiences regarding childbirth. The present qualitative study was conducted on the primiparous women referring to the educational hospitals of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences selected through purposive sampling. The necessary data was collected through Semi-structured interviews with 17 primiparous women having no complicated vaginal delivery. Demographic information was also gathered using a questionnaire. Interviews were conducted 24- 48 hours after delivery and the obtained data was analyzed applying content analysis. After data analysis, four themes related to labor experience were extracted. The first theme, difference between the experience and the expectation, means that some participants generally experienced their childbirth better than what was expected and to most of them it was worse than expected. The second theme, strategies for dealing with pain, meant that the participants attempted to confront the labor pain through spiritual-religious and physical approaches. The two other themes covered the need for labor support and a new insight into natural delivery. According to the results of this study, women who experience childbirth for the first time may not have a realistic expectation regarding natural childbirth, lose their control in facing labor, and ask for caesarean delivery. Therefore, more attention should be paid to childbirth preparation classes. Besides, more support for laboring women, in addition to concentration over maternal and fetal physical health, is recommended