Aims: To explore the perceptions and experience of women whose baby died in the neonatal period about their care in the perinatal period, on delivery suite, in the neonatal unit and afterwards, expressed in their own words.
Design: Secondary analysis of the Listening to Parents study, using thematic analysis based on the open text responses from a postal survey of parents whose baby died in the neonatal period in England. Women were asked about care during the pregnancy, labour and birth, around the time the baby died and about neonatal care.
Objectives: To systematically review (1) The effect of obstetric unit (OU) closures on maternal and neonatal outcomes and (2) The association between travel distance/time to an OU and maternal and neonatal outcomes.
Design: Systematic review of any quantitative studies with a comparison group.
Data Sources: Embase, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, Applied Social Science Index and Abstracts, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health and grey literature were searched.
Postnatal care is the aspect of maternity care with which women in England are least satisfied. Little is known about first-time mothers' expectations of postnatal care, or how these expectations relate to their experiences and appraisal of care. Thirty-two first-time mothers took part in a longitudinal qualitative descriptive study, based on two semi-structured interviews-the first in pregnancy, and the second 2 to 3 months after birth.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: There are many studies of women's experiences of care during the postnatal period, however little is known about women's expectations of postnatal care.
Objective: This study explores first-time pregnant women's expectations, both ideal and real life, of postnatal care in England.
Design: a descriptive, cross-sectional online survey design was used.
Background: The National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit in England has conducted five National Maternity Surveys (NMS) at varying intervals since 1995. This paper aims to describe the changes in NMS response rates over time and to compare the demographic characteristics of respondents to each NMS.
Methods: This paper is based on secondary data analysis of the NMS (cross-sectional postal surveys) from 1995 to 2018.
Objectives: To assess the prevalence of postpartum fatigue at 10 days, 1 month and 3 months, and to describe the sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of women with fatigue and the associations with infant characteristics, maternal-infant attachment, and partner and midwifery support.
Setting: Maternity care in England. Secondary analysis of 2014 National Maternity Survey.
Objectives: To report on women's and families' expectations and experiences of hospital postnatal care, and also to reflect on women's satisfaction with hospital postnatal care and to relate their expectations to their actual care experiences.
Design: Systematic review.
Setting: UK.
Background: Surveys are established methods for collecting population data that are unavailable from other sources; however, response rates to surveys are declining. A number of methods have been identified to increase survey returns yet response rates remain low. This paper evaluates the impact of five selected methods on the response rate to pilot surveys, conducted prior to a large-scale National Maternity Survey in England.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Early identification of postnatal depression is important in order to minimize adverse outcomes. The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) is commonly used as a screening tool but a single, direct question on depression may offer an alternative means of identifying women in need of support. This study examines the agreement between these methods and characteristics of women who self-identify as depressed and those with EPDS ≥ 13.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Mode of birth has been found to be associated with maternal postnatal adjustment with women who have Caesarean Sections (CS) thought to be at higher risk of emotional distress. However the relationship is complex and studies have demonstrated mixed findings. The aim of this study is to evaluate a model that explores the direct relationship between mode of birth and postnatal maternal adjustment at 3 months and indirect relationships through psychosocial variables.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The death of a newborn baby is devastating. While clinical issues may be a primary concern, interpersonal aspects can impact significantly. Mothers in this situation are not easy to access for research and little quantitative evidence is available.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: In the UK, changes to legislation in 2003 regarding the free movement of people in the European Union resulted in an increase in immigration from countries that joined the EU since 2004, the Accession countries.
Objective: To describe and compare the maternity experiences of recent migrant mothers to those who had been resident in the UK for longer, and to UK-born women, while taking into account their region of origin.
Design: Cross-sectional national survey.
Objective: This study aimed to assess the effects on partners' health and well-being of holding a stillborn baby.
Background: Findings from quantitative and qualitative studies have produced inconsistent results concerning the effects of holding a stillborn baby on parents.
Methods: Secondary analyses were conducted on postal questionnaire data relating to 455 partners of women who had a stillbirth.
Background: Most research on women experiencing stillbirth relies on online user group surveys or qualitative interviews. The objective of this study was to investigate the experience of women who are at a higher risk of stillbirth, living in areas of greatest deprivation, and are commonly not well represented.
Methods: This study used birth and death registrations in 2012-2013 to identify a sample of mothers whose babies had died as a result of stillbirth.
Background: mental health problems in pregnancy and the postnatal period are relatively common and, in pregnancy, are associated with an increase in adverse outcome. It is recommended that all women are asked about their emotional and mental health and offered treatment if appropriate.
Objectives: to describe the care received by women self-identifying with mental health problems in pregnancy, and to describe the effects of support, advice and treatment on outcomes in the postnatal period.
Objectives: More disabled women are becoming mothers, and yet, their care is rarely the focus of quantitative research. This study aimed to investigate access and quality of maternity care for women with differing disabilities.
Design: Secondary analysis was conducted on data from a 2015 national survey of women's experience of maternity care.
Objectives: To explore women's experiences of early labour care focusing on sociodemographic differences, and to examine the effect of antenatal education, using mixed methods.
Setting: England, 2014.
Participants: Women who completed postal questionnaires about their experience of maternity care, including questions about antenatal education, early labour and sociodemographic factors, included space for free-text comments.
Objectives: To analyse quantitative and qualitative data, to describe the experience of parents in relation to post-mortem following stillbirth, looking at offer and uptake of post-mortem, information-giving, the type of post-mortem carried out, receiving the results and any sociodemographic differences in care practices in relation to post-mortem.
Design: Secondary analysis of a postal survey which included both open and closed questions allowing for a mixed methods study design.
Population: Random sample of women who experienced a stillbirth in 2013.
Members of the actinomycete genus Streptomyces are non-motile, filamentous bacteria that are well-known for the production of biomedically relevant secondary metabolites. While considered obligate aerobes, little is known about how these bacteria respond to periods of reduced oxygen availability in their natural habitats, which include soils and ocean sediments. Here, we provide evidence that the marine streptomycete strain CNQ-525 can reduce MnO via a diffusible mechanism.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: there have been changes in maternity care policy over the last 20 years and women's experience, continuity and satisfaction with care have become more prominent. However there has been no research examining changes over time in women's reported experience.
Methods: this study used secondary analysis of data collected in four postal surveys of maternity care experiences in 1995, 2006, 2010 and 2014.
Background: Approximately 15 million babies were born preterm worldwide in 2010 and in England in 2014 there were 52 249 preterm births. Preterm babies are at increased risk of poor outcomes and this can put enormous strain on the family.
Objective: This study aimed to test the hypothesis that giving birth preterm affects maternal health, mood and well-being, and alters women's feelings and perceptions about their baby.
Background: Pregnancy and the postnatal period is a period of potential vulnerability for women and families. It is UK policy that all women are asked about their mental health and wellbeing early in pregnancy and following the birth to help detect potential problems and prevent serious adverse outcome. However, identification of mental health problems in pregnancy may be less than 50 %.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: To compare mental health and well-being outcomes at 3 and 9 months after the stillbirth among women who held or did not hold their baby, adjusting for demographic and clinical differences.
Design: Secondary analyses of data from a postal population survey.
Population: Women with a registered stillbirth in England in 2012.
Background: Pregnancy at a young age is a continuing public health concern strongly associated with socioeconomic deprivation, social isolation, and stigma. The objectives were to see whether, compared with women aged 21 or more, women aged 20 years or younger worried more about labor and birth, and had poorer maternal outcomes. Another objective was to investigate the extent to which worries about labor and birth mediated the associations between young age and outcomes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: To collate and critically appraise extant evidence for the impact of contact with the stillborn infant on parental mental health, well-being and satisfaction.
Design: Systematic review.
Data Sources: A structured systematic search was conducted in 13 databases, complemented by hand-searching.