Abstract
Background and Objectives : We clarified delivery details of preterm low-birth-weight newborns to find ways to help mothers understand the importance of their experience. Subjects and Methods : Nine mothers delivering low-birth-weight newborns at study facilities and who gave consent within one month of delivery were studied in semi-structured interviews analyzed by applying content analysis as suggested by Berelson. Results : Of the 9, 5 delivered by Caesarean section and 4 vaginally. Their delivery experience yielded 6 categories (i) concern for the child's health, (ii) fear of preterm delivery, (iii) satisfied or dissatisfied with the husband's behavior in a critical delivery, (iv) satisfied or dissatisfied with health care professional behavior during delivery, (v) physical pain during delivery, and (vi) mental and physical pain in threatened preterm delivery. (i) concern for the child's health and (ii) fear of preterm delivery accounted for 80% of all comments, reflecting the mothers delivery experience. Conclusion : Our results suggest a need to better support such mothers, who may suffer subsequent low self-esteem. Retrospectively analyzing such feelings during pregnancy may help them understand their experience early in the puerperal period.
