Experiences of women with physical disabilities in labor and delivery assistance.
Camila Fernandes da Silva Carvalho, Luciana Pedrosa Leal, Rebeca Paes Barreto Ponce de Leão Vasconcelos Amorim and 1 others
PMID 38477816WHAT IT FOUND
Women with physical disabilities described maternity care as sometimes humane and sometimes hostile.
They valued family presence and respectful nursing support. They reported inaccessible rooms, poor communication, denied companions, and prejudiced care or procedures without consent.
Key findings
01Women described both supportive and harmful maternity care, with feelings shaped by facility conditions and healthcare professionals' attitudes.
02They reported inaccessible, hostile maternity environments, poor assistance, invasive procedures without consent, and bad news communicated poorly.
03Family and friends provided mobility help, advocacy against obstetric violence, and facilitation of obstetric care; when absent or denied, birth experiences worsened.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
Only six women participated, all with lower-limb limitations, so the themes cannot represent all women with physical disabilities. The workshop was virtual, so facial expressions and non-verbal cues were harder to observe, and internet interruptions occurred. Women with multiple disabilities or those needing intensive therapy in the perinatal period were excluded, as were women with amputations or dwarfism. The study describes experiences and expectations; it did not test any maternity care intervention or measure outcomes such as postpartum trauma. Participants were recruited in one city in Brazil through NGOs and social media, which may limit transferability.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that respectful nursing care or family presence prevents postpartum trauma. This study describes six women's experiences and did not test those practices or measure trauma outcomes.