The Relationship between Childbirth Experience and Some Maternal and Infant Outcomes in Women Referred to Zanjan Health Center, 2020

Abstract

Abstract Introduction: The experiences that women gain from the process of childbirth are considered as one of the important consequences of childbirth and these experiences always remain with them throughout life. Most women consider childbirth as a positive and pleasant event and consider it as a factor for feeling empowered. But for some women, childbirth is a negative or unpleasant experience and they will remember it for years to come. Due to the fact that the experience of childbirth is associated with consequences in the postpartum period and also the consequences of mother and infant have been studied in various studies, but the relationship between these issues and the experience of childbirth has not been studied in a study in Iran. Therefore, the research team decided to determine the relationship between some of the outcomes of mother and infant in the postpartum period with the experience of childbirth. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 216 eligible women in the 4 months to 4 months and twenty-nine days postpartum participated in the study. The participants were selected using total population sampling in all health centers (36 urban health centers) in Zanjan-Iran, 2020. Data were collected using socio-demographic and obstetric profiles, , childbirth experience questionnaire-2 (CEQ 2.0), Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI), Postpartum Sleep Quality Scale (PSQS), Postpartum Bond Questionnaire, Anthropometric Index Registration Checklist, and Developmental Age and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ). To determine the relationship of childbirth experience with some maternal and infant outcomes the Pearson correlation coefficient was used for univariate analysis if the distribution was normal and Spearman correlation coefficient was used if the distribution was not normal. and the general linear model by adjusting socio-demographic and obstetric details was used for multivariate analysis. Results: Mean (standard deviation) scores of childbirth experience, sexual function, sleep quality and postpartum bond were 2.6 (0.5) (ranged between 1 and 4), 24.3 (6.3) (ranged between 2 and 36), 47.9 (8.6) (ranged between 14 and 70) and 6.6 (2.7) (0-125 score range), respectively. In terms of child development, the highest mean score in the field of problem-solving was 56.8 (5.7) and the lowest mean score in the field of communication was 50.1 (8.3). . According to the Pearson correlation coefficient, there was a significant correlation between childbirth experience with sleep quality (r=0.16, p=0.017), sexual function (r=0.26, p<0.001) and fine motions (r=0.18, p = 0.007). And childbirth experience had a significant inverse correlation with the mother-infant bond (r=-0.23, p=0.001). However, there was not a significant relationship between childbirth experience and other areas of development and the infant's anthropometric indices (p>0.05). The results of the General Linear Model with the adjustment of the socio-demographic and midwifery characteristics showed that sexual function (B=3.25, 95%CI= 1.27 to 4.87) and sleep quality (B=2.7, 95%CI= 0.29 to 4.65) scores increased significantly as the score of childbirth experience increased. As well, the postpartum bond score was lower in women who had a more positive childbirth experience, which was also an indication of a better relationship (B=-2.92; 95% confidence interval = -4.85 to -0.98). Besides, the fine motions score was higher in women with a positive labor experience (B=3.11; 95% confidence interval = 5.48 to 0.73). Conclusions: Given the direct correlation between childbirth experience and some maternal and infant outcomes in postpartum period, to avoid the consequences of a negative childbirth experience such as sexual dysfunction, sleep quality disorders, mother infant bonding disorders and child developmental disorders in the area of fine motions coherent planning is needed to improve the childbirth experience. And in ths postpartum period, women with a negative childbirth experience should be followed up for potential postpartum disorders.