Introduction: Ensuring access to universal primary health care is essential to secure a safe and pleasant motherhood and to provide compassionate care for mothers and newborns.However, inequalities in the access to maternal health services still remain a prominent problem in many countries. As part of reducing inequalities, Ethiopia launched the Health Extension Program (HEP) in 2003. The HEP is a community based program designed with a defined package of essential promotive, preventive and basic curative services targeting households, particularly mothers and children. Despite the construction of over 600 health posts and deploying more than 1200 Health Extension Workers (HEWs), preliminary data suggests a low utilization of maternal health care services. This thesis explores the HEP contribution in improving women’s access to maternal health care, and the reasons for the low use of maternal health care services from the perspectives of the involved actors in the Tigray region in Ethiopia. The five dimensions of access were used as a framework to explore the access to maternal health care utilization in this setting. Methods: A total of four districts were included in the study. Both quantitative and qualitative methods were applied. In the first sub-study, we assessed the HEP and its association with change in the utilization of antenatal, delivery and postnatal care services. Retrospective longitudinal data for 10 years was extracted from three selected districts and checked for accuracy. Segmented linear regression technique was used to control the secular trends adjusted for correlation of the data. For the second sub-study, we conducted a cross sectional survey with 1115 women (aged 15-49 years who had given birth within five years prior to the survey period) to determine the prevalence of antenatal care and institutional delivery utilization and explore their determinant factors of low utilization. For the third sub-study, we conducted six focus group discussions (FGDs) with a total of 51 women to explore women’s experiences of childbirth and maternal care. An interview with eight HEWs and four midwives were carried out to capture health workers’ perspective on access to maternal health care services in the fourth sub-study. Grounded theory for the former, and thematic analysis for the latter were used for the analysis. Main findings: The finding of the first sub-study showed a statistically significant upward trend for delivery care (DC) and postnatal care (PNC) in all facilities during the HEP late implementation period (July 2008-June 2012). In addition, a substantial trend of antenatal care (ANC) service use was observed at health centres after the intervention. In the second sub-study, the determinant predictors for ANC utilization were: proximity to health facilities, to be married, ≥5 years of education and having non-farming husbands. The last three factors were also significantly associated with institutional delivery, but also lower parity, previous history of obstructed/prolonged labour and ANC counselling. Findings from the qualitative studies pointed out that elderly women influenced women’s decision making about where to give birth. Women were mostly positive about giving birth at health facilities, but were concerned about the poor quality of care, inaccessibility and unavailability of transport. From the health workers’ perspective: specialized performance of hospital services, community assistance during referral and an increased awareness among women regarding the benefits of giving birth at a health facility were perceived as facilitators for institutional deliveries. Poor perceived competence of HEWs, poor conditions of health care facilities and inaccessibility of transportation, among others, were perceived as barriers for giving birth at health facilities. Conclusion: Overall, this research revealed a considerable contribution of the HEP in improving the access and coverage of maternal health services (ANC, DC and PNC). However, cultural traditions, scattered localities, mountainous roads without adequate transportation and low quality of care are still the major obstacles to accessing the services. Mechanisms need to be designed to enable health facility access of safe delivery for women in hard to reach areas, improving the proficiency of health workers and introducing a women centered approach that enhances acceptability of the services. / ሽፋን መሰረታዊ ክንክን ጥዕና ምዕባይ ድሕንነት ኣዴታትን ህፃናትን ንኽረጋገፅ ዝለዓለ ተራ ከምዘለዎ ይፍለጥ፡፡ ይኹንደኣምበር ግልጋሎት ጥዕና ኣዴታት ብማዕረ ኣብ ምብፃሕን ብምዕሩይ ኣገባብ ኣብ ምሃብን ብዙሓት ሃገራት እናተፀገማ እየን፡፡ ነዚ ዘይምዕሩይን ማዕረ ዘይኾነን ኣዋህባ ግልጋሎት ጥዕና ንምምሕያሽ ኣብ ሃገርና (ኢትዮጵያ) ብ1994-1995 (ብአቆፃፅራ ግእዝ) ዝተኣታተወ ፕሮግራም ምግፋሕ ጥሙር ጥዕና ቤተሰብ (Health Extension Program/HEP) 10 ዓመታት ኣሕሊፉ ይርከብ፡፡ ፕሮግራም ምግፋሕ ጥሙር ጥዕና (HEP)፣ ሕብረተሰብ መሰረት ዝገበረ-ምክልኻል ሕማማትን ምስጓም ጥዕናን - ምትእትታው ግልጋሎት ሕክምና ቀለልቲ ሕማማትን ብፍላይ ድማ ንኣዴታትን ህፃናትን ትኹረት ብምግባር ስድራ ቤት ብምሕቋፍ ዝንቀሳቐስ ፕሮግራም እዩ፡፡ እዚ ፕሮግራም ንምትግባር ኣብ ክልል ትግራይ ልዕሊ 600 ኬላታት ጥዕና ተሃኒፀን፡፡ ልዕሊ 1200 ሞያተኛታት ጥሙር ጥዕና እውን ሰልጢነን እየን፡፡ ክልተ ሞያተኛታት ኣብ ሓደ ኬላ ጥዕና ተመዲበን ካብ 5000-7000 በዝሒ ንዘለዎ ሕብረተሰብ ግልጋሎት እናሃባ ይርከባ፡፡ እንተኾነ ግን ዝተፈላለዩ መፅናዕታታት ከምዘመላኽትዎ ግልጋሎት ኣዴታት ጥዕና (ወሊድን ድሕሪ ወሊድን) ትሑት ሽፋን ከምዘለዎ ይሕበር፡፡ ዕላማ እዚ ዝገበርናዮ መፅናዕቲ እውን ኩነታት እቲ ግልጋሎት ብኣሃዝ ንምዕቃንን ከምኡ እውን ምኽንያታት እቲ ትሑት ግልጋሎት ንምድህሳስን እዩ፡፡ ኣብዚ መፅናዕቲ እዚ ምኽንያታት ትሑት ሽፋን ግልጋሎት ክንክን ጥንሲ ወሊድን ድሕረ ወሊድን እንታይ ምዃኑ ካብ ሕሉፍ ልምዲ (ተሞክሮ) ኣዴታትን ሰብ ሞያ ጥዕናን ብዝርዝር ብምድህሳስ - ፕሮግራም ምግፋሕ ጥሙር ጥዕና ንቐረብ ግልጋሎት ኣዴታት ጥዕና ንምምሕያሽ ዘለዎ ኣስተዋፅኦ እንታይ ከምዝመስል ተተንቲኑ ቐሪቡ ኣሎ፡፡ እቲ ቀረብ ግልጋሎት ጥዕና ሓሙሽተ መዐቀኒታት ብዘለዎ ፍሬም ዎርክ እዩ ተዳህሲሱ እቶም ሓሙሽተ መመዘኒታት 1. ቅርበት ትካል ጥዕናን ሰብ ሞያ ጥዕናን ንተገልገልቲ 2. ህልውነት ሰብ ሞያ ጥዕናን ናውትን ድሌት ተገልገልትን 3. ሰብ ሞያ ጥዕና ብተገልገልቲ ዘለዎም ተቐባልነት 4. ትካል ጥዕና ንድሌት ተገልገልቲ ንምዕጋብ ዘለዎ ድልውነት 5. ተገልገልቲ ወፃኢታት ሕክምና ንምሽፋን/ንምኽፋል ዘለዎም ድሌትን ዓቕምን እዮም፡፡ እዞም ሓሙሽተ መዐቀኒታት መሰረት ዝገበሩ ኣርባዕተ ዓይነታዊን አሃዛዊን ሜላታት ብምጥቃም ዝተኻየዱ መፅናዕትታት ኣብ ኣብ 4ተ ወረዳታት ትግራይ እዮም ተኻይዶም፡፡ ኣብቲ ቀዳማይ መፅናዕቲ ፕሮግራም ምግፋሕ ጥሙር ጥዕና ቤተሰብ (HEP) ኣብ ምምሕያሽ ክንክን ጥንሲ-ወሊድን-ድሕረ ወሊድን ግልጋሎት ዘምፅኦ ለውጢ ኣብ ሰለስተ ወረዳታት (ጋንታአፈሹም፤ ክልተ ኣውላዕሎ፣ ሕንጣሎ ዋጅራት) ንዝሓለፉ 10 ዓመታት ኣብ ዝተዋህበ ግልጋሎት ብምድራኽ እዩ ዳህሰሳ ተኻይዱ፡፡ ትኽክለኛነት እቲ ፀብፃብ እውን ካብ ትካላት ጥዕና ዝተልኣኸ ወርሓዊ ኣብ ወረዳ ምስ ዘሎ ፀብፃብ ብምንፅፃር ንኽረጋግፅ ተገይሩ እዩ፡፡ እቲ ካልኣይ መፅናዕቲ ኣብ ወረዳ ሰሓርቲ ሳምረ ካብ 19 ጣብያታት ካብ ዝተመረፃ 30 ቑሸታት ዕድሚአን ካብ 15-49 ዓመት ምስ ዝኾና 1115 ደቂኣንስትዮ ኣስታት 30 ደቓይቕ ዝወደአ ቃለ መሕትት ብምኽያድ እዩ ዳህሰሳ ተኻይዱ፡፡ ኣብ ወሊድ ግልጋሎት ዘሎ ልምድን ተሞክሮን ንምድህሳስ 51 ኣዴታት ዝተሳተፋሉ ሽዱሽተ ጉጅላዊ ምይይጥ በቲ ሳልሳይ መፅናዕቲ ምርምር ዝተፈፀመ እንትኾን ምስ ሸሞንተ ሞያተኛታት ጥሙር ጥዕናን ኣርባዕተ ነርስ መዋልዳንን ቃለ መሕትት ብምኽያድ እቲ 4ይ ምርምር/መፅናዕቲ ተፈፂሙ እዩ፡፡ ውፅኢት ቀዳማይ መፅናዕታዊ ፅሑፍ ኣብዚ ቐዳማይ መፅናዕቲ እቶም ዝተአከቡ መረዳእታት ኣብ ሰለስተ ደረጃታት - ቅድመ ፕሮግራም-ፕሮግራም-ድሕረ ፕሮግራም ብዝብል ዝተመቐሉ እዮም፡፡ እቲ ቐንዲ ዕላማ ፕሮግራም ምግፋሕ ጥሙር ጥዕና ድሕሪ ምጅማር ዝተራእየ ለውጢ ንምፍታሽ እዩ፡፡ ኣብ ድሕሪ እቲ ፕሮግራም ካብ 2001-2004 ዓ/ም ብዝተኻየዱ ንጥፈታት ጥዕና ግልጋሎት ወሊድን ድሕረ ወሊድን ኣብ ኩለን ትካላት ጥዕና ካብ ዓመት ናብ ዓመት ልዑል ኣዝማሚያ እናርኣየ ከምዝኸደ ብስታቲስቲካዊ መረዳእታ ንምርግጋፅ ተኻኢሉ እዩ፡፡ ብተመሳሳሊ ኣብዚ ወቕቲ እዚ ኣዝማሚያ ግልጋሎት ክንክን ጥንሲ ኣብ ጥዕና ጣቢያታት ጥራሕ እናለዓለ ከምዝኸደ ውፅኢት እቲ መፅናዕቲ የረድእ፡፡ እቲ መፅናዕቲ ከም ዘረድኦ ሽፋን ክንክን ጥንሲ ብ1995 ካብ ዝነበሮ 28.2% ብ2004 ናብ 46.7 ክምዝለዓለ፤ ግልጋሎት ወሊድ ብ1995 ካብ ዝነበሮ 5% ዝነበረ ናብ 23% ከምዝደየበ ድሕረ ወሊድ ግልጋሎት እውን 11% ዝነበረ ናብ 41% ከምዝለዓለ ንምርዳእ ተኻኢሉ ኣሎ፡፡ ውፅኢት ካልኣይ መፅናዕታዊ ፅሑፍ ኣዴታት ግልጋሎት ክንክን ጥንሲ ኣብ ጥዕና ጣቢያ ንኽጥቀማ ቅርበት ትካላት ጥዕና ንመንበሪ ገዛውቲ፣ ሓዳር ምግባር፣ ልዕሊ 5 ዓመት ስሩዕ ትምህርቲ ምምሃርን ካብ ሕርሻ ወፃኢ ኣብ ካልእ ስራሕቲ ዝተዋፈሩ ሰብ ሓዳር ምህላው ወሰንቲ ኣካላት ምዃኖም በቲ ዝተገብረ ካልኣይ መፅናዕቲ ተረጋጊፁ፡፡ ብተመሳሳሊ ኣብ እዋን ክንክን ጥንሲ ንኣዴታት ምኽሪ ግልጋሎት ምሃብ ቅድመ ታሪኽ ዝንጉዕ ሕርሲ ወይ ሃልኪ ምንባር እውን ኣብ ትካላት ጥዕና ወሊድ ግልጋሎት ንኽመሓየሽ ወሰንቲ ኩነታት ከምዝኾኑ በቲ መፅናዕቲ ተረጋጊፁ፡፡ ብሓፈሻ ፕሮግራም ምግፋሕ ጥሙር ጥዕና ቤተሰብ (HEP) ቀረብ ግልጋሎት ጥዕናን ሽፋን ክንክን ጥንሲ ወሊድን ድሕረ ወሊድ ግልጋሎትን ኣብ ምምሕያሽ ዝተፃወቶ ተራ ትርጉም ዘለዎ ምዃኑ በቲ ዝገበርናዮ መፅናዕቲ ንምርዳእ ተኻኢሉ ኣሎ፡፡ እንተኾነ ግን ባህላዊን ልማዳዊን ኩነታት (ኣብ ገዛ ክትወልድ ምድላይ- ነፍሰፁር ዓይኒሰብ ከይረኽባ ኢልካ ምእማን) - ተበቲኖም ዝሰፈሩ ነበርቲ ምህላው - ኣፀገምቲን ዓቐብ ቁልቁልን ጎቦታትን ዝበዝሖም መንገድታትን እኹል መጉዓዝያ ዘይምህላውን ቀንዲ ሃልኪታትን ዕንቅፋታትን እቲ ዝወሃብ ግልጋሎት ምዃኖም ኣብዚ መፅናዕቲ ተገሊፁ እዩ፡፡ ብተወሳኺ ኣብ ላዕለዎት ትካላት ጥዕና ዘይብሩህ ገፅን ሰሓባይ ኣቀራርባ ሰብ ሞያ ጥዕና ዘይምህላውን ተቐባልነት ዘይብሎም ባህሪያት ምንፅብራቕን ነቲ ግልጋሎት ዝዓዘዘ ዕንቅፋት ከምዘለዎ በቲ መፅናዕቲ ንምርዳእ ተኻኢሉ እዩ፡፡ ማይን መብራህትን ዝኣመሰሉ ትሕቲ ቕርፂ ኣብ ኬላታት ጥዕና ዘይምህላዉ ኣዴታት ኣብ ቀረበአን ዘሎ ትካል ጥዕና ንኽወልዳ ዘየተባብዕ ከምዝኾነ እውን ተሓቢሩ እዩ፡፡ ውፅኢት ሳልሳይን ራብዓይን መፅናዕታዊ ፅሑፍ ኣብ ሳልሳይ መፅናዕቲ ምስ ኣዴታት ብዝተገበረ ምይይጥ - ኣደ እትወልደሉ ቦታ ባዕላ ንኽትውስን ከምእነሓጎታት ዝመሰላ ዕድመ ዝደፍኣ ኣዴታትን ፀቕጢ (ተፅእኖ) ከምዝግበረላ እቶም መፅናዕቲታት ይሕብሩ፡፡ ዋላ አኳ ኣብ ትካል ጥዕና ብዛዕባ ምውላድ ኣዎንታዊ ኣረኣእያ ኣዴታት ዝዓዘዘ እንተኾነ ብዛዕባ ድኹም ኣዋህባ አገልግሎት ጥዕና ኣዝዩ ከምዘተሓሳስበን እቲ መፅናዕቲ ይገልፅ፡፡ ትካል ጥዕና ናብ መንበሪ ኣዴታት ዘለዎ ርሕቐትን መጓዓዓዚ ዘይምርካብ ዝኣመሰሉ ፀገማት ከምዘገድስወን እውን እቲ መፅናዕቲ ይሕብር፡፡ ኣብቲ ራብዓይ መፅናዕቲ ብወገን ሞያተኛታት ጥሙር ጥዕናን ነርስ መዋልዳንን ብዝተገበረ ምይይጥ - ኣብ ሆስፒታል ዝዋሃቡ ዝሐሹ ግልጋሎት ኣዴታት ካብ ታሕተዋይ ትካል ጥዕና ናብ ሆስፒታላት ሪፈር እንትበሃላ ኣብ ምጉዕዓዝ ብሕብረተሰብ ዝግበር ምትሕግጋዝ ከምኡ እውን እናዓበየ ዝኸይድ ዘሎ ግንዛበ ሕብረተሰብ ኣዴታት ኣብ ትካል ጥዕና ንኽወልዳ መሳለጢ ከምዝኾነ እቲ ፅንዓት የረድእ፡፡ ዓቕሚ ምንኣስ ሞያተኛታት ጥሙር ሞያተኛታት ጥሙር ጥዕናን ነርስ መዋልዳንን - ድኹም ኩነታት ትካል ጥዕናን (ሕፅረት ናውቲ ጥዕና ምህላዉ - ትሕቲ ቅርፂ ዘይምምላእ) ፀገም መጉዓዝያን እውን ኣዴታት ኣብ ትካል ጥዕና ንኸይወልዳ ዕንቅፋታት ከምዝኾነ እቲ ፅንዓት የመላኽት፡፡ መጠቓለሊ እቶም ዝተጠቐሱ ዕንቅፋታትን ፀገማትን ብምንካይ ቀረብ ወሊድ ግልጋሎት ጥዕና ንምዕባይ እዞም ዝስዕቡ ፃዕሪታት ምክያድ ይግባእ፡፡ ኣብ ጎቦታትን ኣዝዩ ርሑቕን ኣፀገምትን ዝሰፈረ ሕብረተሰብ ካብቲ ልሙድ ዝተፈለየ ቀረብ ግልጋሎት ጥዕና ምሃብ (ንኣብነት ካብ ጥዕና ጣቢያ ኣዝየን ዝርሕቓ ኬላታት ጥዕና ክእለት ዘለወን ነርስ መዋልዳን (midwives) ምምዳብ - ኣደ ማእኸል ዝገበረ ግልጋሎት ንኽወሃብ ሰብ ሞያ ጥዕና ብዓቕሚ ንኽዓብዩ ምግባርን ነቶም ሓሙሽተ መዐቀኒታት ቀረብ ግልጋሎት ብምምላእ ኣብቲ ሕብረተሰብ ተቐባልነት እቲ ግልጋሎት ክዓቢ ምግባርን፡፡

Pregnancy and childbirth are important life experiences in a woman’s psychosocial and psychological development. For many women, vaginal birth is still considered an integral part of being a woman and becoming a mother. Furthermore, it is thought to promote maternal well-being through helping women to match their expectations to experiences. For these women, a failed natural birth can be a psychological, psychosocial, and existential challenge that can result in significant and far-reaching consequences for their psychological wellbeing. Research, especially recent research, on the experiences of women who most wanted to, but were unable to deliver their babies naturally is relatively rare. This is surprising given the potential implications of these experiences on a mother’s emotional well-being, as well as for her feelings towards her new baby. Nevertheless, literature on the topic presents a coherent perspective on the problem and indicates that these women experience difficulties in adapting to not being able to fulfill their dream of delivering their baby naturally. There is no existing research on the subjective experiences of South African women who delivered their babies by unplanned Caesarean section. This study therefore aimed to contribute to knowledge that may fill this gap to some extent. Through purposeful sampling, ten mothers who had wanted to deliver their babies naturally, but had not been able to for whatever reason, were selected as the study sample. Various aspects of their birth experiences were explored in indepth phenomenological interviews. This allowed the researcher to probe certain aspects offered by participants in order to understand and explore their contributions in as much depth as possible. A semi-structured, open-ended approach allowed for the exploration of relevant opinions, perceptions, feelings, and comments in relation to the women’s unplanned Caesarean experiences. The transcribed data was synthesized within a framework of phenomenological theory, where women’s experiences were analyzed and explored in an attempt to understand how participants made sense of their experiences. The different aspects of women’s experiences were explored in three substudies. The results are reported in three manuscripts/articles. Research suggests that post-partum adjustment difficulties are influenced by the potentially virulent stress reactions generated in response to a perceived birth trauma. The objective of the first article was to explore women’s labour and birthing accounts with specific regard to the subsequent stress responses experienced. The stress responses experienced by the women in this study both prior to, and during the Caesarean section were predominantly anxiety-based. This was distinguished from the post-partum period, where women described having experienced more depressive symptoms. Post-traumatic stress responses are associated with negative perceptions of the birth, self and infant. The experience of adverse emotional consequences during the post-partum period can undermine a woman’s ability to successfully adapt to her role as a mother, meet the needs of her infant, and cope with post-partum challenges. The second article highlighted the possible impact of women’s unexpected and potentially traumatic childbirth experiences on initial mother-infant bonding. The unplanned Caesarean sections left mothers feeling detached from the birthing process and disconnected from their infants. Passivity, initial separation, and delayed physical contact further compromised mother-infant interaction. Postpartum physical complications and emotional disturbances have important implications for a woman’s perceptions of herself as a mother and her ability to provide for her infant, her self-esteem, and feelings of relatedness with her baby. Adverse responses to a traumatic birth experience could therefore influence the establishment of a maternal role identity, the formation of balanced maternal attachment representations, the caregiving system, and ultimately initial motherinfant bonding. In the third article, women’s experiences were contextualized in relevant coping resources and strategies. The processes occurring during a traumatic birth experience, such as during an unplanned Caesarean section, could be influenced by perceived strengths when coping with the stress related to the incident. The mothers in this study described several factors and coping strategies that they perceived to have been effective in reducing the impact of their traumatic birth experiences. These included active coping strategies, problem-focused coping strategies, and emotion-focused coping strategies. Coping strategies could result in reassessment of the birth process, and be associated with a more positive, acceptable and memorable experience. This study contributes to nursing, midwifery and psychological literature, by adding to the professional understanding of the emotional consequences of surgical delivery on South African childbearing women. This exploration therefore has important implications for preventative measures, therapeutic intervention, and professional guidance. However, the restricted sample may limit the generalizability of results. Further investigation of the experiences of a larger, more biographically and culturally diverse population could be instrumental in the development of knowledge and understanding in this field of study. / Thesis (PhD (Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013

Pregnancy and childbirth are important life experiences in a woman’s psychosocial and psychological development. For many women, vaginal birth is still considered an integral part of being a woman and becoming a mother. Furthermore, it is thought to promote maternal well-being through helping women to match their expectations to experiences. For these women, a failed natural birth can be a psychological, psychosocial, and existential challenge that can result in significant and far-reaching consequences for their psychological wellbeing. Research, especially recent research, on the experiences of women who most wanted to, but were unable to deliver their babies naturally is relatively rare. This is surprising given the potential implications of these experiences on a mother’s emotional well-being, as well as for her feelings towards her new baby. Nevertheless, literature on the topic presents a coherent perspective on the problem and indicates that these women experience difficulties in adapting to not being able to fulfill their dream of delivering their baby naturally. There is no existing research on the subjective experiences of South African women who delivered their babies by unplanned Caesarean section. This study therefore aimed to contribute to knowledge that may fill this gap to some extent. Through purposeful sampling, ten mothers who had wanted to deliver their babies naturally, but had not been able to for whatever reason, were selected as the study sample. Various aspects of their birth experiences were explored in indepth phenomenological interviews. This allowed the researcher to probe certain aspects offered by participants in order to understand and explore their contributions in as much depth as possible. A semi-structured, open-ended approach allowed for the exploration of relevant opinions, perceptions, feelings, and comments in relation to the women’s unplanned Caesarean experiences. The transcribed data was synthesized within a framework of phenomenological theory, where women’s experiences were analyzed and explored in an attempt to understand how participants made sense of their experiences. The different aspects of women’s experiences were explored in three substudies. The results are reported in three manuscripts/articles. Research suggests that post-partum adjustment difficulties are influenced by the potentially virulent stress reactions generated in response to a perceived birth trauma. The objective of the first article was to explore women’s labour and birthing accounts with specific regard to the subsequent stress responses experienced. The stress responses experienced by the women in this study both prior to, and during the Caesarean section were predominantly anxiety-based. This was distinguished from the post-partum period, where women described having experienced more depressive symptoms. Post-traumatic stress responses are associated with negative perceptions of the birth, self and infant. The experience of adverse emotional consequences during the post-partum period can undermine a woman’s ability to successfully adapt to her role as a mother, meet the needs of her infant, and cope with post-partum challenges. The second article highlighted the possible impact of women’s unexpected and potentially traumatic childbirth experiences on initial mother-infant bonding. The unplanned Caesarean sections left mothers feeling detached from the birthing process and disconnected from their infants. Passivity, initial separation, and delayed physical contact further compromised mother-infant interaction. Postpartum physical complications and emotional disturbances have important implications for a woman’s perceptions of herself as a mother and her ability to provide for her infant, her self-esteem, and feelings of relatedness with her baby. Adverse responses to a traumatic birth experience could therefore influence the establishment of a maternal role identity, the formation of balanced maternal attachment representations, the caregiving system, and ultimately initial motherinfant bonding. In the third article, women’s experiences were contextualized in relevant coping resources and strategies. The processes occurring during a traumatic birth experience, such as during an unplanned Caesarean section, could be influenced by perceived strengths when coping with the stress related to the incident. The mothers in this study described several factors and coping strategies that they perceived to have been effective in reducing the impact of their traumatic birth experiences. These included active coping strategies, problem-focused coping strategies, and emotion-focused coping strategies. Coping strategies could result in reassessment of the birth process, and be associated with a more positive, acceptable and memorable experience. This study contributes to nursing, midwifery and psychological literature, by adding to the professional understanding of the emotional consequences of surgical delivery on South African childbearing women. This exploration therefore has important implications for preventative measures, therapeutic intervention, and professional guidance. However, the restricted sample may limit the generalizability of results. Further investigation of the experiences of a larger, more biographically and culturally diverse population could be instrumental in the development of knowledge and understanding in this field of study. / Thesis (PhD (Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Michigan, 1987. / "A research report submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirents for the degree ..."

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Michigan, 1987. / "A research report submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirents for the degree ..."

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Michigan, 1992.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of California, Santa Cruz, 1987. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 266-300).

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Michigan, 1992.

Este trabalho tem como objetivo compreender os símbolos atribuídos às tecnologias utilizadas na atenção obstétrica, como também conhecer as práticas femininas na busca por cuidados médicos na assistência ao parto. Para tanto, analisamos os relatos de 16 gestantes atendidas pelo setor privado e os de 13 gestantes assistidas pelo setor público. O estudo combinou duas técnicas qualitativas: a observação etnográfica e entrevistas semi-estruturadas. A pesquisa encontrou, entre outros, os seguintes resultados: 1-a maioria das mulheres observadas expressou a preferência pelo parto normal. 2- o nascimento, independente do tipo de parto desejado, está associado a categorias de medo, tensão e risco. 3- o discurso médico, segundo as gestantes atendidas pela rede privada, reforça a ansiedade e medo feminino e de sua família na medida em que associa o parto normal à dor e ao risco de morte. A cesariana, por outro lado, é descrita como um parto seguro. 4- na maternidade pública, as mulheres e seus acompanhantes vivenciaram o parto normal de maneira sofrida e passiva. 5- práticas profissionais compatíveis com a humanização do parto e as orientadas pelo modelo médico hegemônico, isto é, centrado na tecnologia na atenção ao nascimento, coexistem na rede pública. Contudo, a abordagem normativa ainda está presente em ambas as práticas. 6- a participação das parturientes nas decisões sobre o parto é escassa na rede pública. Em suma, concluímos que mulheres e médicos compartilham a visão de parto normal enquanto categoria de risco e a cesariana como prática segura. / This work aims to understand the symbols associated to technologies adopted in obstetric practice, and also women practices in searching for medical cares during childbirth. This study was carried out from June 2011 to October 2011 in 16 pregnant women attending the private hospitals and 13 pregnants attending public sector. I combined two qualitative techniques: Ethnographic observation and Semi-structured interview. I identified some ethnographic findings, such as: 1- most of women request for vaginal birth. 2. birth experience, regardless of delivery type desire, is associated with three categories: fear, tension and risk of death. 3-medical discourse, according to pregnant women attending private hospitals, reinforces womens and their families fear of pain and the risks of vaginal births. Cesarean birth, on the other hand, is described as a safe childbirth. 4- at the public maternity, I observed that women and their partners have experienced a painful and passive vaginal birth. 5- professional practices of humanized birth and medical intervention based on technologies in birth assistance, co-exist in public hospitals. However, normative approach is still on both practices. 6- the womens participation on childbirth decision is rare at the public health institution examined. In sum, our data suggest that both women and obstetricians share perception of the risks inherit in natural process of birth. Cesarean section, on the other hand, is being considered a fitting and safe form of childbirth.

Becoming a mother is a transition that leads the woman from a known to an unknown existence, both social and professional support can facilitate this revolutionary event. In order to offer a good support, more knowledge about women's thoughts on the birth of their first child is needed. Aim:To describe pregnant women's thoughts before the birth of their first child. Method: Qualitative content analysis with inductive approach. Qualitative questionnaires were answered by 18 informants. Findings: Four main categoriesreveal; thoughts about their own ability and experience, thoughts about the childbirth environment, thoughts about the partnerand thoughts about the unborn child. The theme that reveals is that pregnant women's thoughts about the birth of their first child commute between trust and doubt.Conclusion: Women have confidence in their own ability but at the same time concern about the unknown. Thoughts that the delivery may affect the experience, therefore it is important that the midwife helps the woman to handle her thoughts so that she gains realistic expectations. Women have ambivalent thoughts about the support she will be offered. Professional and social support is important for achieving a positive childbirth experience and therefore continuous support should be offered during childbirth. / Att vänta barn och att bli mamma är en transition som leder kvinnan från en känd till en okänd tillvaro och både socialt och professionellt stöd kan underlätta vid denna omvälvande händelse. För att bättre kunna erbjuda kvinnorna ett gott stöd behövs mer kunskap om kvinnornas tankar inför deras första barns födelse, då detta område är relativt outforskat. Syfte: Att belysa gravida kvinnors tankar inför sitt första barns födelse. Metod: Kvalitativ innehållsanalys med induktiv ansats.Kvalitativa frågeformulär besvarades av 18 informanter. Resultat: Det framkommer fyra huvudkategorier; tankar om den egna förmågan och upplevelsen, tankar om förlossningsmiljön, tankar kring partnern och tankar om det ofödda barnet.Temat som genomsyrar resultatet är att gravida kvinnors tankar kring sitt första barns födelse pendlar mellan tillit och tvivel.Konklusion: Kvinnorna har tilltro till den egna förmågan men samtidigt en oro inför det okända.Tankar inför förlossningen kan påverka upplevelsen, därför är det viktigt att barnmorskan hjälper kvinnan att hantera sina tankar så att hon får realistiska förväntningar. Kvinnorna har ambivalenta tankar om det stöd hon kommer att erbjudas. Professionellt och socialt stöd är viktigt för att uppnå en positiv förlossningsupplevelse och därför bör kontinuerligt stöd erbjudas till alla födande kvinnor.