- Title
- Experiences of women who gave birth before arrival at a midwife obstetric unit
- Creator
- Fouché, Moira Sandy
- Subject
- Midwifery -- South Africa -- Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality
- Subject
- Pregnant women -- South Africa -- Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality
- Subject
- Maternity nursing -- South Africa -- Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality
- Date Issued
- 2016
- Date
- 2016
- Type
- Thesis
- Type
- Masters
- Type
- MCur
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/10948/7176
- Identifier
- vital:21290
- Description
- Pregnant women expect to give birth in a safe environment conducive to a safe delivery such as the hospital. In some cases the birth does not always work out as planned as labour is unpredictable and circumstances may lead to the woman giving birth before arriving at the hospital. For some women the outcome of the experience could have a positive effect while most of the time it is a negative effect such as embarrassment and disappointment. The researcher, an experienced midwife, observed in the unit where she works of the steady increase in women who were admitted as experiencing birth before arrival. The women will at times be reluctant to respond to questions on admission regarding their labour process and also tend not to focus on the needs of the baby. When the mother is discharged, one is left wondering what will happen to the infant at home. Hence, this study had the following objectives: to explore and describe the women’s experiences of giving birth before arrival at a midwife obstetric unit in the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipal area and secondly, to use the findings of the study to make recommendations to assist midwives to support women who have experienced birth before arrival at a midwife obstetric unit. This study was a qualitative, explorative, descriptive and contextual research study. The research population included all the women who had birth-before-arrival deliveries at the midwife obstetric unit in the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipal area. The criteria for inclusion were women who had experienced birth before arrival between October 2014 and December 2014; women who had been admitted to an midwife obstetric unit and not referred to a tertiary level of care, but discharged home; women whose babies were still alive; women who had spent at least eight hours and not more than twelve hours in the midwife obstetric unit and women older than 18 years of age. Purposive sampling was used. The researcher conducted semi-structured one-on-one interviews which were captured by means of an audio-tape recorder to collect data. Taking field notes was part of the interview session. Analysis of data was done according to Tesch’s method of data analysis. The supervisor and an independent coder assisted with the analysis to confirm the data and help develop themes. To ensure rigour in the study, the Lincoln and Guba model of trustworthiness was used, which encompasses truth value, applicability, consistency and neutrality. The research was done in an ethical manner whereby autonomy and respect, beneficence, non-maleficence and justice were maintained by the researcher. The researcher maintained privacy and confidentiality by numbering the interviews and not revealing the participant’s identity. The collected data was kept under lock and key and was only discussed with the research supervisor and the independent coder. The interviews were conducted in a private and safe place without any interruptions. Two main themes emerged from the data analysis. Theme one – A birth before arrival at the midwifery facility is an emotional experience for the mother. Theme two - Mothers described diverse experiences related to emergency childbirth care. Based on the findings of the study, the relevant recommendations were made to improve the overall management of women who experience birth before arrival. The recommendations will be utilised by the midwives in maternity units and primary health-care practitioners in the clinics attending to pregnant women.
- Format
- ix, 86 leaves
- Format
- Publisher
- Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University
- Publisher
- Faculty of Health Sciences
- Language
- English
- Rights
- Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University
- Hits: 1195
- Visitors: 1253
- Downloads: 83
| Thumbnail | File | Description | Size | Format | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| View Details Download | SOURCE1 | Experiences of women who gave birth before arrival at a midwife obstetric unit | 1 MB | Adobe Acrobat PDF | View Details Download |