Abstract
Background
Having a positive childbirth experience is an increasingly valued outcome. Few studies
evaluated the women’s satisfaction with childbirth through face-to-face interviews
out of the health service environment. The objective of this study was to identify
factors associated with a higher level of satisfaction with the childbirth experience
among Brazilian women.
Methods
This cross-sectional study involved 287 women giving birth in two hospitals in southern
Brazil. Women who gave birth to healthy newborns at term were randomly selected. Face-to-face
interviews were conducted 31–37 days after delivery, at the mothers’ homes, using
a structured questionnaire. Satisfaction with the childbirth experience was measured
using a Likert-type scale ranging from very satisfied to very dissatisfied. Prevalence
ratios (PR) were estimated using Poisson regression with robust variance.
Results
Following hierarchical multivariate analysis, the following factors remained associated
with a higher level of satisfaction with the childbirth experience: being satisfied
with antenatal care (PR = 1.30; 95% confidence interval [95%CI] = 1.06−1.59), understanding the information provided by health professionals during
labor and delivery (PR = 1.40; 95%CI = 1.01−1.95), not having reported disrespect and abuse (PR = 1.53; 95%CI = 1.01−2.31), and having had the baby put to the breast within the first hour of life
(PR = 1.63; 95%CI = 1.26−2.11). No association was observed with type of delivery or hospital status (public
or private).
Conclusions
A higher level of satisfaction with the childbirth experience is related to satisfactory
antenatal care, a non-abusive, respectful, and informative environment during childbirth,
and to the opportunity to breastfeed the baby within the first hour of life. In clinical
practice, greater attention to these basic principles of care during pregnancy and
delivery could provide more positive experiences during birth.
Abbreviations:
PR (Prevalence Ratio), CI (Confidence Interval), WHO (World Health Organization), SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences)Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: July 08, 2020
Accepted:
June 10,
2020
Received in revised form:
June 10,
2020
Received:
April 3,
2020
Identification
Copyright
© 2020 Australian College of Midwives. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
