WOMEN’S EXPECTATIONS AND EXPERIENCES DURING PREGNANCY AND CHILDBIRTH AT KANYAMA GENERAL HOSPITAL IN LUSAKA: A PHENOMENOLOGICAL STUDY
Abstract
Introduction: While understanding pregnant woman care expectations is essential, there is a paucity of literature on the expectations and experiences of women during childbirth in our maternity facilities. The main objective of this study was to explore women's expectations and experiences during pregnancy and childbirth. Methodology: The study was conducted at Kanyama General Hospital in Lusaka, and a qualitative interpretative phenomenological research design was adopted. The study sample comprised 10 purposively selected postnatal women accessing postnatal services. Data were collected using a semi-structured interview guide and analysed thematically. Results: After thematic analysis, seven main themes; expectations during pregnancy, expectations during labour, expectations during the postnatal period, experiences during the antenatal period, experiences during labour, experiences during the postnatal period and challenges encountered at the facility while accessing maternity services. The findings indicate that most women are expected to be taught how to keep healthy during pregnancy; they want to go through pregnancy without any problems and have normal labour; midwives and nurses are always available and receive good care. With regards to expectations during labour, most women said that they wanted to be delivered without complications, to have a female midwife or nurse to attend to them, the steps and progress of labour explained to them, as well as their well-being and the baby. Postnatally, the women are expected to be taught how to take care of the baby, immediately discharged after delivery, have blood pressure checked, and check on the baby's condition. The women’s experiences during the antenatal period included having had teaching sessions on the preparation of labour and signs of labour, whereas their experiences during labour included having had a safe delivery but experiencing much pain; the midwives or nurses monitored them, the midwife or nurse on duty was very helpful and encouraged women to be strong. Some women reported that during labour midwives were only available when it was time for examination. Sometimes, they were left and attended to by the nurse when admitted. They further stated that during the post-natal periods, midwives were helpful, gave them adequate attention, and were readily available in the wards, while others had prolonged stay in the ward, which they never expected. Moreover, women faced the challenge of a shortage of midwives or nurses to look after them and provide them with access to services. There were long queues with limited infrastructure space, and women lacked interaction, encouragement and assurance from some midwives and nurses. A few women reported that the doctor did not always see them and were not adequately monitored during labour. Conclusion: The findings show that the women had different expectations and experiences during pregnancy, labour and postnatal period. Therefore, there is a need to consider these expectations and experiences if quality maternity care services are to be provided. However, more research is required to understand women’s expectations during pregnancy, labour, and postnatal.
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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.46827/ejphs.v7i2.177
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