Major Concerns of Women After Cesarean Delivery

Abstract

Objective: To identify women's major physiologic, psychologic, and life‐style concerns at 2 and 8 weeks after cesarean delivery. Design: Descriptive study with open‐ended interviews. Setting: Large urban hospital affiliated with a major university. Participants: One hundred six women who had unplanned cesarean deliveries and delivered live, full‐term neonates. The mean maternal age was 28.7 years. Main Outcome Measures: The major physiologic, physiologic, and life‐style concerns. Results: Seven women reported no concerns at both data points. The number of physiologic concerns that the women expressed decreased markedly from 2 to 8 weeks postdelivery, but the number of psychologic and lifestyle concerns did not. Conclusions: These findings reinforce the need for prenatal teaching and postnatal follow‐up regarding these concerns. Copyright © 1994, Wiley Blackwell. All rights reserved