Mothers perception on occupational performance following a caesarean section

Abstract

Introduction: In obstetric care, cesarean section is used when surgery becomes essential to reduce complications and preserve the mother and newborn's life. Recovery may be slower, marked by a period of increased vulnerability to complications and limitations affecting, albeit temporary, the occupational performance. It is believed that the women's discourse of their postoperative experience enables greater visibility and field of possibilities for health interventions to improve the quality of life. Objective: Analyze the perception of mothers in postoperative period following a cesarean section, on their performance of daily life activities (DLA) and baby care. Method: Cross-sectional, descriptive study of qualitative approach, held in the maternity ward of a teaching hospital in Recife/PE, with 15 women in the postoperative following a cesarean section. We used a semi-structured interview and the method of content analysis used to group the themes. Results: The categories related to aspects of “Performance in daily life activities”, “Baby care”, “Support network” and “Natural or Caesarean delivery - influencing factors based on the women's perception” were built after analysis of the interviews. Conclusion: The pain and difficulties in returning to the usual activities, as well as the support of people in recovery after the cesarean were the most cited postpartum factors; however, they take different characteristics, based on the generated expectations and coping techniques for every woman, according to their social and cultural context.