Background
Pregnancy and childbirth are normal physiological processes but the internal and external
circumstances in which the child is conceived and born affect the life of the mother and child.
Every pregnancy is associated with unpredictable risks and complications. Therefore, having
a birth preparedness and complication prevention plan including safe motherhood are
paramount to reduce maternal and infant mortality rates.
Purpose of the study
This study aimed to establish the pregnant women’s knowledge, perceptions and practices
regarding birth preparedness planning, complication readiness and safe motherhood at
Raleigh Fitkin Memorial Hospital to help reduce some of the avoidable causes of maternal
and infant mortality rates.
Research design and methods
An exploratory, descriptive and qualitative research design was used for the study. Women
who had delivered within a period of one week were purposively selected from the research
site and interviewed using a structured interview guide until saturation of data. Ethical
considerations were adhered to and measures of trustworthiness were applied. Giorgi’s
analytic method was used for data analysis.
Findings
The findings revealed that most participants were not well informed about birth preparedness
although some had managed to save for baby requirements and hospital fees. Transportation
to the hospital for ANC and delivery was a problem to those who ended up delivering their
babies at home or on the way to hospital. Knowledge about complications of birth was poor
and only a few participants could name bleeding and prolonged labour. Most participants
were not sure about safe motherhood, whilst some mentioned contraception and post-natal
care.
Conclusion
Evidence from the study reveal that as much as pregnant women prepare baby’s clothes and
money for labour and delivery, psychological preparation and transport preparation seemed
poor. Complication readiness was not known by most participants. / Health Studies / M.A. (Health Sciences)
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:unisa/oai:uir.unisa.ac.za:10500/27905 |
| Date | 09 1900 |
| Creators | Dlamini, Khetsiwe Reginah Joyce |
| Contributors | Maja, Todd Mamutle Mavis |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Dissertation |
| Format | 1 online resource (iv, 76 leaves), application/pdf |
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