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

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Parturition*

No abstract available.
Parturition*

No abstract available.
Parturition*

PURPOSE: To compare the secular trends of gestational length distribution in singleton and twin birth by analyzing the birth certificated data of Statistics Korea. METHODS: The birth certificated data of Statistics Korea was used for this analysis (1997~99: 1,850,236 births, 2011~13: 1,325,301 births). The data of triplet birth cases, extra-marital birth, non-hospital birth cases, teenage birth, and gestational length information missing cases were excluded. Odds ratio and 95% confidence intervals were calculated from multinomial logistic regression analyses to describe the secular trend (1997~99 and 2011~13) of early preterm birth rate (≤33 weeks), late preterm birth rate (34~36 weeks), term birth rate (37~41 weeks), and post-term birth rate (≥42 weeks) adjusted for maternal age (20, 25, 30, 35, 40), birth order (1st=1, 2nd=2, ≧3rd=3), infantile gender (male=1, female=0), maternal occupation (none=1, yes=0), and education (≤middle=1, high=2, college/university=3). RESULTS: From phase I (1997~99) to phase II (2011~13), the gestational length distribution in singleton and twin births shifted the left and toward shorter gestational distribution, and mean gestational length decreased from 39.4 weeks to 38.7 weeks in singleton birth, and decreased from 36.9 weeks to 35.7 weeks in twin birth, During the period, the term birth rate of singleton birth was unchanged at 95 percent, but the term birth rate of twin birth was decreased from 65.7 percent to 46.1 percent. The odds ratio of early preterm birth, late preterm birth, term birth rate, and post-term birth rate in singleton birth for phase II were, respectively, 1.138 (95% confidence interval: 1.106~1.171), 1.556 (1.532~1.581), 1.094 (1.081~1.107), and 0.113 (0.109~0.118), compared with rate of each gestational length for phase I. The odds ratio of each gestational length in twin birth of phase II, comparing phase I, were 1.495 (1.405~1.590) for early preterm birth, 2.110 (2.029~2.194) for late preterm birth, 0.444 (0.428~0.461) for full term birth, and 0.055 (0.026-0.117) for post-term birth. CONCLUSION: The risk of early preterm birth, late preterm birth between phase I & II increased higher in twin birth than that of singleton birth. The rise in early and late preterm birth, and decrease in mean gestational length in singleton and twin birth during the period. There was a need to more research in this area to understand the contributing factors to gestational length.
Birth Order ; Birth Rate ; Education ; Humans ; Korea ; Logistic Models ; Maternal Age ; Occupations ; Odds Ratio ; Parturition* ; Premature Birth ; Term Birth ; Triplets ; Twins*

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

PURPOSE: This study was performed to explore the weight variations in high-risk term newborns hospitalized during the early postnatal period. METHODS: A retrospective explorative study was performed with 64 term newborns who were hospitalized in the NICU after birth. Data on daily weight, birth information, and clinical features such as phototherapy, placements, nutritional status were reviewed through medical records for 14 days of life. General Linear Model, GLM was applied to analyze the weight variation by clinical features of these high-risk term newborns for 14 days of life. RESULTS: Newborns at 40 weeks of gestation showed little weight loss during the few days after birth then steadily gained weight to 7.6% at the 14th day. Infants born at 37-39 gestation showed little weight gain for 14 days though the weight loss itself was not apparent. As well, return to birthweight was not observed in newborns with phototherapy, infants placed on a warmer or infants having gastrointestinal dysfunction for 14 days of life. CONCLUSION: Even for term newborns, physiologic weight loss may not be warranted even if newborn is born at less than 40 week of gestation, or with high-risk conditions that warrant admission to NICU.
Birth Weight ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn* ; Intensive Care Units, Neonatal ; Linear Models ; Medical Records ; Nutritional Status ; Parturition ; Phototherapy ; Pregnancy ; Retrospective Studies ; Term Birth ; Weight Gain ; Weight Loss

OBJECTIVE: The risk of macrosomia in diabetic complicated pregnancy is increased perinatal morbidity. But it is difficult to predict adverse outcomes after birth with conventional diagnostic tools of diabetes in pregnant women. We evaluated the birth-weight between diabetic and non-diabetic pregnant women based on gestational weeks to determine adverse pregnancy outcome. METHODS: We selected 166 diabetic complicated pregnant women delivered between January 2005 and December 2008 and 248 non-diabetic pregnant women at same period. We compared the birth-weight between two groups in relation to the gestational age below and over 37 weeks. Fetal anomalies, fetal death, and multifetal pregnancy were excluded in this study. And we also evaluated the incidence of baby who had birth-weight 3.8 kg or more and their neonatal outcomes between two groups. RESULTS: There were 4.9% (166/3404) of diabetic complicated pregnancies. The preterm births (birth before 37 weeks of gestation) were occurred 32.5% (54/166) and term births (birth after 37 weeks of gestation) were 67.5% (112/166). The mean birth-weight in preterm birth showed 2,492 g of gestational diabetes, 3,315 g of pregestational diabetes and 2,118 g of control group (P=0.001). The mean birth-weight and gestational age at delivery in term birth showed pregestational diabetes and gestational diabetes were heavier and shorter than those of control group (P=0.002). The incidence of 3.8 kg or more of birth-weighted baby appeared 43.5% (10/23) of pregestional diabetes, 16.8% (24/143) of gestational diabetes and 8.5% (21/248) of control group (P=0.000). The Apgar score less than 7 at minutes of neonate were more frequent in pregestational and gestational diabetes than that of control group (P=0.013). CONCLUSION: It is important to classify the type of diabetes during pregnancy and there should be needed to predict adverse pregnancy outcomes including macrosomia.
Apgar Score ; Diabetes, Gestational ; Female ; Fetal Death ; Gestational Age ; Humans ; Incidence ; Infant, Newborn ; Parturition ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Outcome ; Pregnant Women ; Premature Birth ; Term Birth