PURPOSE: This study was intended to explore the essential structure and the meanings of childbirth experiences among Korean women participated in Lamaze childbirth education. METHODS: Giorgi's phenomenological method was used to analyze data collected by in-depth interviews with six primiparous women from March to July 2009. RESULTS: Five components identified in the meanings of experience: 'Simplicity', 'Self-control', 'Uncontrollable pain', 'Spiritual maturity', 'Physiologic event'. CONCLUSION: The study results revealed that the childbirth experience was positive generally, partially influenced by Lamaze childbirth education. But, meanings of childbirth experience with Lamaze childbirth education were mostly physiological respect related to labor pain or one's own efforts to endure labor pain. Therefore, nursing strategies for drawing emotional and socio-environmental experiences from childbirth experience with Lamaze childbirth education is needed.
Female ; Humans ; Labor Pain ; Natural Childbirth ; Parturition ; Pregnancy ; Qualitative Research

PURPOSE: This study was intended to explore the essential structure and the meanings of childbirth experiences among Korean women participated in Lamaze childbirth education. METHODS: Giorgi's phenomenological method was used to analyze data collected by in-depth interviews with six primiparous women from March to July 2009. RESULTS: Five components identified in the meanings of experience: 'Simplicity', 'Self-control', 'Uncontrollable pain', 'Spiritual maturity', 'Physiologic event'. CONCLUSION: The study results revealed that the childbirth experience was positive generally, partially influenced by Lamaze childbirth education. But, meanings of childbirth experience with Lamaze childbirth education were mostly physiological respect related to labor pain or one's own efforts to endure labor pain. Therefore, nursing strategies for drawing emotional and socio-environmental experiences from childbirth experience with Lamaze childbirth education is needed.
Female ; Humans ; Labor Pain ; Natural Childbirth ; Parturition ; Pregnancy ; Qualitative Research

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to explore the meanings of 'Natural childbirth' from experiences of Korean women who gave birth to a baby in the midwifery using a feminist approach. METHODS: This paper is a qualitative research study and applies a feminist epistemology and methodology to the experiences of women who gave birth in midwifery. The data were collected by individual in-depth interviews with eleven participants. RESULTS: Two main themes emerged from the feminist content analyses and each main theme had three sub themes. A. transformation of control and knowledge on childbirth and the body 1) refusing coercive medicalization and building a new normality, 2) specific expectations about biological health and maternity rather than a return to nature, 3) the subject of pregnancy and childbirth, B. 'natural childbirth' practice as a new embodied discipline 1) helpers to support mothers, midwives, 2) helping the body to do 'natural childbirth', 3) from isolated labor to cooperative reproduction. CONCLUSION: These results indicate that women desired to practice being a subject, consultation with professionals, self-discipline and named actors except for women as 'other subjects' in childbirth.
Female ; Feminism ; Humans ; Medicalization ; Midwifery ; Mothers ; Natural Childbirth ; Parturition ; Pregnancy ; Qualitative Research

PURPOSE: This study was to understand the meaning of women's experience of spontaneous delivery with midwives at midwifery clinics or home. METHODS: van Kaam's Psychophenomenological method composed of a four-stage, 12-step format was used. In-depth interviews were carried out from January to July, 2011, with twelve women. RESULTS: Through the data analysis, 403 significant statements, 172 elements, 48 subcategories, and 19 categories were extracted, and from the 19 categories, 8 themes were drawn. The eight themes were: "Conflict on whether a hospital or a midwifery clinic", "Choosing natural delivery with the assurance of her ability to delivery spontaneously and having trust in the midwives." "Being encouraged by a midwife and family members with one accord", "Experience of the spontaneous delivery process on body", "Comfortable delivery in spite of painful process", "Deeply impressed by the overwhelming joy of birth", "Satisfaction with spontaneous delivery", and "Deeper love among family members". CONCLUSION: Through this study, women's delivery experiences with midwives was of spontaneous delivery. Women's birth of self-confidence and trust between the midwives and the women to predict a spontaneous delivery is a powerful factor. Also, family support and midwives delicate care was identified as factors in spontaneous delivery.
Female ; Humans ; Love ; Midwifery* ; Natural Childbirth ; Nurse Midwives ; Parturition ; Pregnancy ; Qualitative Research ; Statistics as Topic

Ye Feng composed what was to become one of the most famous and widely-circulating medical works of the late imperial period, the Treatise on Easy Childbirth(1715). Ye Feng proposed the idea of natural childbirth, When the correct moment for birth had arrived, the child would leave its mother's body as easily as "a ripe melon drops from the stem". He argued attempts to facilitate birth were therefore not only unnecessary, and female midwives artificial intervention was not required. However, this view is to overlook the pangs of childbirth, and women bear responsibility for the failure of delivery. So his views reflect the gender order in male-dominated. Also he constructed the negative image of the midwife and belittle her childbirth techniques. As a result, midwife are excluded from the childbirth field, male doctors grasp guardianship rights of the female body. Ye Feng declared that the key to safe and successful delivery could be summed up in just a few words: "sleep, endure the pain, delay approaching the birthing tub". This view must be consistent with the Confucian norms, women to export to equip the 'patience' and 'self-control'. These norms were exposed desire men want to monitor and control the female body, effect on consolidation of patriarchal family order. In sum, the discourse of "a ripe melon drops from the stem" and "sleep, endure the pain, delay approaching the birthing tub" comprised an important intellectual resource that male doctors drew on to legitimate themselves as superior overseers of women's gestational bodies.
China ; Confucianism ; Delivery, Obstetric/*history ; Female ; History, 18th Century ; Humans ; Midwifery/*history ; Natural Childbirth/*history ; Pregnancy ; *Reference Books, Medical

PURPOSE: This study was designed to identify nurses' perceptions and educational intentions regarding natural childbirth control (NCC) methods. METHOD: The participants were 313 nurses working at three general hospitals in Seoul. They were asked to complete a questionnaire composed of scales measuring knowledge and perceptions childbirth control methods, awareness of bodily changes in ovulation phase, perceptions of fetal life, which were developed by the author. Also, Chang's (2002) Sexual Autonomy Inventory was utilized. The data were analyzed by the SAS program. RESULTS: Methods of condom and rhythm were considered to be more useful for childbirth control than other methods. Only 34-54% of them knew exactly about the NCC methods using menstrual cycle, body temperature, and mucus. The mean scores of sexual autonomy and awareness of bodily changes in ovulation phase were 3.8 and 3.4 out of 5, in respect. Educational intention was different statistically by the age, marital status, future intention to use NCC methods, and perception of educational need for NCC methods. CONCLUSION: Nurses' perceptions and educational intentions regarding NCC were low, especially in nurses who were married. It is recommended to encourage nurses to learn NCC methods for clients education.
Body Temperature ; Condoms ; Education ; Female ; Hospitals, General ; Intention* ; Marital Status ; Menstrual Cycle ; Mucus ; Natural Childbirth* ; Ovulation ; Parturition ; Pregnancy ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Seoul ; Weights and Measures

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of nursing college students who attended delivery practices at midwifery clinic. METHODS: This was a qualitative study using focus groups. Data were collected by group interviews with a total of 12 students who observed natural childbirth at midwifery clinic. Data were analyzed through Colaizzi's method in which meaningful statements were extracted. RESULTS: The meanings of experiences were identified five theme clusters from thirteen themes and thirty-one sub-themes. The five theme clusters were 'ultimate process of natural childbirth', 'allowed birth', 'role recognition of the midwife', 'positively changed perception', and 'barriers'. CONCLUSION: This study showed that observation of delivery at midwifery clinic was helpful for nursing students in terms of positive impression about natural childbirth with maternal and baby being centered. Nursing students expressed value and concern about delivery at midwifery clinic. Further in-depth study of natural childbirth in terms of husband and family perspective is required. For quality improvement of maternity nursing care, natural childbirth process needs to be included in nursing care at hospitals as well as students' clinical practicum.
Female ; Focus Groups ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Interviews as Topic ; Maternal-Child Nursing ; Midwifery* ; Natural Childbirth ; Nursing Care ; Nursing* ; Pregnancy ; Quality Improvement ; Spouses ; Students, Nursing

PURPOSE: As midwives witness and attend the whole process of childbirth, they have a better understanding of which factors may cause traumatic childbirth. However, because most of the studies paid their attention on mothers, little is known about psychological birth trauma from the perspective of midwives. This study aims to gain a full understanding of which factors may contribute to psychological traumatic childbirth from the perspective of midwives.METHODS: A qualitative research was conducted using in-depth interviews, which involved fourteen midwives from the maternal ward of a tertiary hospital. The interviews were recorded and transcribed, and then, Colaizzi's method was used to analyze the contents of the interviews.RESULTS: We proposed four themes and eight subthemes on the influencing factors of psychological traumatic childbirth from the perspective of midwives: low perceived social support (lack of support from family and lack of support from medical staff), hard times (protracted labor in the first stage and futile efforts during the second stage), poor birth outcomes (poor birth outcomes of the mother and poor birth outcomes of the baby), and excruciating pain (unbearable pain of uterine contraction and labor pain was incongruent with the mother's expectations).CONCLUSION: Medical staff should pay attention to psychological traumatic childbirth and its effects, and emphasis on the screening and assessment of birthing women with negative feelings so that their psychological traumatic childbirth can be prevented and decreased.
Female ; Humans ; Labor Pain ; Mass Screening ; Medical Staff ; Methods ; Midwifery ; Mothers ; Natural Childbirth ; Parturition ; Pregnancy ; Psychological Trauma ; Qualitative Research ; Tertiary Care Centers ; Uterine Contraction

A retrospective study of 274 consecutive primary caesarean sections and 274 unmatched controls was carried out at Port Moresby General Hospital from January to December 1992. The primary caesarean section rate was 3.5%. Stepwise logistic regression analysis showed that primary caesarean section was significantly associated with maternal height of less than 150 cm; nulliparity; symphysis-fundal height of more than 38 cm at admission in labour; cervical dilatation of less than 4 cm at admission in labour; and the level of fetal head at admission in labour of 3/5 or higher.
Analysis of Variance ; Case-Control Studies ; Cesarean Section - statistics & ; numerical data ; Confidence Intervals ; Developing Countries ; Logistic Models ; Natural Childbirth - statistics & ; numerical data

PURPOSE: The research purpose was analysis of the effect of a health education program for newly-married executed from 2003 to 2005 as a part of health care service from community health center and providing the fundamental source for health education needed during newly-married. METHOD: The data collection with structured questionnaires was conducted during October to December in 2006. From the health center 106 brides who participate the program and 130 brides who didn't participate. Health care program for newly married couple were composed health examinations and health educations. Health examinations were CBC, LFT and Ag & Ab prevallence rates of hepatitis B, rubella. Health educations were done two times, the first individual health education was done at enrolled in health center for establishment of desirable couple relationship, family planning, contraception method and management of pre-pregnancy. The second individual health education was done for explanation of blood examination results, prevention of the congenital deformity and the vertical transmission of hepatitis B, management for pregnancy, breast feeding method, introduction to safety delivery method and encouraging self-study using by materials made by health center after two weeks at revisiting health center. SPSS/PC(ver. 12.0) and chi2-test, t-test was used to analyze the collected and tabulated data. Socio-demographic characteristics and regional characteristics of residence area of two groups shows no significant difference. RESULT: As a variables of experimental effect, The natural childbirth rates of participants group was significantly higher than Non-participants group(p=.012). Breast feeding rates for participants group was also statistically significant higher than Non-participants group. Contraception rates showed no significant difference. The rubella vaccination rates (p=.001) and The hepatitis B vaccination rates (p=.012) shows statistical differences. CONCLUSION: Therefore health care program for newly married couple in a community health care center was effective generally. We supposed that explore participation ways for non-participants, expand the program to community health care center in whole country.
Breast Feeding ; Community Health Centers ; Community Health Services* ; Congenital Abnormalities ; Contraception ; Data Collection ; Delivery of Health Care* ; Family Planning Services ; Female ; Health Education ; Hepatitis B ; Natural Childbirth ; Pregnancy ; Rubella ; Vaccination ; Surveys and Questionnaires