A roller coaster of emotions. A content analysis of experiences and evaluations of hospitalization after birth

Most new parents spend the first few days with their newborns in the hospital.

Although negative hospital care experiences can have short- and long-term negative consequences (e.g., risk of postnatal depression), only a handful of studies have investigated experiences of maternity care after birth.

The aim was to gather more detailed information on the experiences during the immediate postpartum period at the maternity ward, in order to confirm and complement previous findings with additional data sources.

A content analysis was conducted on 524 textual units comprising ratings of maternity care units in Germany provided by mothers or accompanying individuals. These units were sourced from a publicly accessible website.

The analysis identified three overarching themes that influenced positive or negative experiences: Hospital and Maternity Ward Infrastructure; Midwifery, Medical, and Nursing Care; and Breastfeeding and Establishing a Breastfeeding Relationship.

The findings indicate systemic challenges within the medical system, including persistent issues such as staff shortages and overworked personnel. Additionally, critical primary support structures related to early parental mental health care and breastfeeding initiation were found to be lacking in certain hospitals.

These results underscore the necessity for structural reforms within hospitals to establish a comprehensive prevention network capable of early problem detection and intervention.