Feelings about birth by a group of high-risk pregnant women.
Juliana de Sousa de Almeida, Emily Marques Alves, Thelma Malagutti Sodré and 3 others
PMID 38055490WHAT IT FOUND
High-risk pregnant women feared obstetric care, baby complications, and cesarean section.
They wanted humanized birth, a companion, quick less painful labor, and sought information, distraction, anxiety control, faith, and meditation.
Key findings
01High-risk pregnant women reported fear of obstetric care, complications with the baby, and cesarean section, alongside resilience and expectations for humanized birth.
02They described coping with high-risk pregnancy through distraction, seeking information from doctors, anxiety control, faith, psychological help, and meditation.
03They expected physiological vaginal childbirth or an uncomplicated cesarean section, and wanted a companion and family participation at birth.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
All participants came from a single high-risk outpatient service, so the findings may not apply to other services or regions. Women were selected by convenience. The study excluded primigravidae and pregnant women with fetal anomalies, so it does not describe first pregnancies or fetal anomaly cases. Participants were in the second trimester, so feelings closer to birth may differ. It reports themes rather than tested effects.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this as proof that humanized obstetric care or coping strategies improve birth experiences or health outcomes. The study did not test an intervention and included 25 women from a single service, so it describes fears and expectations only.