Article

PURPOSE: To examine the lived experience of pregnancy and childbirth in women
with spinal cord injury (SCI). METHOD: Qualitative design. Eight women
participated in semi-structured interviews, which were digitally recorded and
transcribed verbatim. Individual and common themes were explored using
interpretative phenomenological analysis. RESULTS: Five main themes of "preparing
for childbirth," "childbirth as a pleasurable event," "childbirth as a unique
experience for women with SCI," "the importance of support" and "childbirth as a
team effort with varied degrees of controllability" emerged from the analyses.
Overall, the women interviewed reported that their experience was positive and
one which they would recommend to other women with SCI. Participants felt that
SCI made a difference to their experience in terms of the clinical care that they
received, their freedom of choice and their environment; highlighting the
importance of support, empowerment and person centred care during childbirth.
CONCLUSIONS: Emerging themes suggested the need for services and professionals to
adopt a biopsychosocial framework in which to care for women with SCI during
childbirth and to ensure that the individual's needs and wishes are considered.
Future research may explore the benefits of mindfulness techniques for women in
labour.

Langue : ANGLAIS