Alkhunaizi AN, Alyousef SM, Alhamidi SA, Almoammar DN. Saudi Arabian Primigravid Women's Experiences of Mindfulness to Reduce Childbirth Stress: A Qualitative Study.
SAGE Open Nurs 2023;
9:23779608231175214. [PMID:
37214232 PMCID:
PMC10192671 DOI:
10.1177/23779608231175214]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2023] [Accepted: 04/18/2023] [Indexed: 05/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction
Pregnancy is a significant transitional life experience. It can also be one of the most stressful experiences in life and some women go on to develop postpartum depression. Adopting mindfulness techniques during childbirth may allow women to experience less labor pain and require fewer medical interventions, which improve the mother's health.
Objective
To investigate the effectiveness of mindfulness in reducing childbirth stress in primigravid women in Saudi Arabia.
Methods
The researcher recruited primigravid women from an antenatal clinic in a government hospital in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. The study adopted a qualitative interpretive descriptive design, using individual interviews to collect the data before conducting thematic content analysis using NVivo 10.1 software.
Results
Five key themes emerged from the data: (a) stress reduction, (b) recognition of thoughts and feelings, (c) life satisfaction, (d) insufficient knowledge leads to challenges, and (e) empowerment of a spiritual aspect.
Conclusions
Mindfulness is an effective technique that supports a mother's physical and psychological well-being.
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