Birth, Postpartum, and Home Experiences of Individuals With Lower Extremity Nerve Injury.

Objective: To explore birth and at-home postpartum experiences of individuals with lower extremity nerve injury (LENI) related to childbirth.

Design: Mixed-methods, descriptive, cross-sectional survey with open-ended questions.

Setting: Closed Facebook support group.

Participants: Two hundred-thirty individuals who experienced LENI during childbirth.

Measurements: Two research team members developed the online LENI survey that incorporated suggestions from LENI support group leaders. We used descriptive statistics, linear regression, and Kaplan-Meier survival curves to summarize the quantitative data and used content analysis for open-ended items.

Results: We described labor, birth, and postpartum characteristics in our sample, including immediate and long-term LENI symptoms. Falls resulting from LENI were common in the hospital (55.6%) and at home (75.6%). At discharge home, respondents reported low confidence in their ability to care for themselves and their infants as well as high levels of dependence on others. There was an 89.6% prevalence of depression in the first month at home. Approximately 80% of participants rated their degree of healing at 5 years as 80% to 100% healed. Content analysis yielded six themes: (a) Grieving Loss of Current and Future Life; (b) Caregiver Responses That Helped or Hindered; (c) Being in Danger; (d) Experiencing Emotional Turmoil; (e) Dealing With Family, Marital, and Financial Difficulties; and (f) Finding Strength, Overcoming Obstacles, and Experiencing Personal Growth.

Conclusion: Participants in our sample reported a very high rate of falls, anxiety, and depression at home. Nurses should recognize LENI symptoms, take action to prevent falls, and offer accurate information and referrals.