Post-partum duration of satisfaction with childbirth

Satisfaction with childbirth has become increasingly important among healthcare providers. We evaluated whether satisfaction levels change with time (up to 3 months after delivery).

A prospective study of nulliparous women was designed to evaluate their levels of satisfaction with childbirth and care during birth in the maternity unit of a county hospital in Sundsvall, Sweden. Patient satisfaction with birth and health care was measured twice, during the first week after birth and 3 months later, with the Childbirth Experience Questionnaire (CEQ). Maternal and labor information were collected with a form filled in by the patients and completed with information from the patients' records.

A total of 78 primiparous women participated in the study and answered the questionnaire in the first week after labor, and 63 of them completed the study by answering the same questionnaire 3 months after delivery. The total CEQ score did not change after 3 months, but the scores for the subscales 'professional support' and 'participation' decreased 3 months after labor (P = 0.008 and P = 0.001, respectively). A visual analogue scale predicted the total CEQ scores at both 1 week (P < 0.001) and 3 months (P = 0.003).

Our results indicate that satisfaction with labor and birth among primiparous women was unchanged 3 months after labor.