Women happier with labour when accompanied
New York - Women who go through labor and childbirth with a companion of their choice are more satisfied with the experience, and the care they receive, than women who deliver alone, Brazilian researchers report.
Furthermore, the presence of a companion did not create any safety issues. In fact, women with a companion on hand were about half as likely as unaccompanied women to have amniotic fluid stained with foetal stool - meconium - which can be dangerous to infants if it is inhaled.
While having a companion to provide support during labour and delivery is accepted practice in much of the world, many health facilities do not allow companions or discourage their presence, Dr Odalea M Bruggemann of the Federal University of Santa Catarina in Florianopolis and her colleagues note. This is especially common in the developing world, they add.
Bruggemann and her team randomly assigned 212 women to solo labor or labor with a companion of their choice to compare childbirth experiences.
| Less anxious and fearful |
The women who received support from a companion were significantly more satisfied with labour and delivery than those who went through childbirth alone. They were eight times more likely to be satisfied with their labor experience and nearly six times as likely to be satisfied with delivery.
The accompanied women were also more satisfied with their medical care and medical guidance during labor and delivery. "Perhaps because there was someone else in the room, medical staff were more forthcoming and user-friendly than when no support person was present," the researchers note in their report in the online journal Reproductive Health.
Women with companions were 49 percent less likely to have amniotic fluid stained with meconium than women who delivered on their own. This may have been because they were less anxious and fearful, Bruggemann and her team suggest.
"If on one hand there is a general belief that a labor companion has always positive effects, there are, on the other hand, still a lot of health facilities where companions are not allowed, especially in developing settings," the researchers write. "It is expected that the results of this study could help providers to acknowledge and respect women's rights during birth."
Other Issues of the Week
Pampers settles suit with parents by offering $1000 voucher
June 2011 - Procter & Gamble has agreed to settle a class-action lawsuit over its Pampers Dry Max diapers, which ...
Potty Training
Trouble with potty training isn't always about their stubbornness, says this mom. ...
What you eat affects your foetus
Eating lots of vegetables and fruits during pregnancy may lower the chance of having a baby with certain ...
Babies' brains have to play catch up
New York - The lack of a fully formed prefrontal cortex - the section of the brain that keeps an adult "on ...
Broody?
Life has changed so much compared to 50 years ago. People are busy and priorities have changed. Couples marry later in ...
Visit 
Quayside 906, Durban beachfront accommodation next to Ushaka marine world and 
9B on Innes, Bloemfontein Accommodation.
