Mismatch between Childbirth Expectations and Childbirth Experiences among Thai Women

Abstract

In the situation of giving birth, pregnant women may have both met and unmet expections regard-ing the childbirth. There might also be an experience which the women did not expect to happen but it did happen during childbirth. The aim of the study was to examine the match between childbirth expectations and childbirth experiences among Thai women and the factors associated with satisfaction in childbirth. The result might help public health care providers understand and better prepare women appropriately for childbirth. The study was conducted using longitudinal perspective design. The purposive sample of 196 women was recruited based on the following criteria: 18-45 years of age, no previous caesarean section, willing to participate at the third trimester (32-42 weeks gestation) and postpartum period. There were 3 main questionnaires: (1) Childbirth Expectations and Childbirth Experiences Questionnaires, (2)the Thai Childbirth Self- Efficacy Inventory and (3) the Thai Childbirth Attitude Questionnaires, with the reliabil-ity of 0.94, 0.93 and 0.90, respectively. It was found that on average, 27.1% of the items women expected did not happen during childbirth which were receiving pain medication and having relative present during labor and delivery. While, 37.7% of the items women did not expect, did happen during childbirth which were delivering by a nurse, no food and fluid during labor and birth, and having intrave-nous fluid. There were 5 variables that correlated with satisfaction. These included fulfilled expectations (r=40, p<0.001), self-efficacy (r=21, p<0.01), and taking a childbirth class(r=17, p<0.01), all of which were significantly positively associated with satisfaction in childbirth experiences, and fear of child-birth (r=-14, p<0.05) and education (r=-21, p<0.01) which were negatively associated with satisfaction in childbirth experiences.