Groggy and with tied hands: the first contact with the newborn according to women that had an unwanted c-section

Abstract

Objective: to describe and analyze the experience and feelings of mothers who had an unwanted Csection, with regard to the first contact with their newborn. Methods: this is a qualitative webbased research, whose call for participants was published in October 2011 on a social network of mothers website. The women were interviewed in regard to their experience with C-section, referred to as an unwanted outcome, invited to make narratives about the feelings associated with the experience of labor and childbirth and to the postpartum period. The analysis was conducted within a gender perspective. Results: the 20 women interviewed age ranged from 17 to 41 years, 19 women had studied for 12 or more years and were married or lived with a partner. Only two women remained with their newborns right after birth. The other ones were kept apart from their babies for periods that ranged between one hour (three women) and more than four hours (six women). Most women could not have a partner/companion during the immediate postpartum period, although in Brazil this is a right guaranteed by law. The majority had also suffered some kind of violence and many also regretted being under the influence of medication for sedation during their first contact with the newborn. Regarding this first contact, three groups were identified: women with feelings of fulfillment, those with ambiguous feelings, and those without any positive feelings about the first contact with their newborn. Conclusion: women referring to their C-section as an unwanted outcome had their frustration towards the birth experience amplified by the conditions of the first contact with their newborn. These conditions were negatively influenced by the immediate postpartum assistance routines.