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Published on: August 2, 2017
In a Flash: A Qualitative Descriptive Study of Amniotic Fluid Embolism Survivors
1Cheryl Tatano Beck is a Distinguished Professor in the School of Nursing at the University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT. Dr. Beck can be reached at Cheryl.beck@uconn.edu.
Purpose:
To describe women's experiences of surviving an amniotic fluid embolism (AFE) as written in their online stories.
Study Design And Methods:
In this qualitative descriptive study, 50 stories of AFE that women posted on the AFE Foundation website were analyzed using Braun and Clarke's thematic analysis.
Results:
In this sample, 35 women had emergency cesarean births, 12 had vaginal births, and 3 did not mention the type of birth. In 35 of the stories, women's ethnicity could be determined. Thirty-three women were White and one each were Black and Asian. Twenty-eight mothers were primiparas and 22 were multiparas. Five themes were identified: In a Flash, Heartbreaking Loss of Memory, Arduous Trek Towards Physical Recovery, Struggling Mentally with the Aftermath of a Traumatic Birth, and It Takes a Village and Then Some.
Clinical Implications:
The five themes identified from survivors' stories of AFE provide a firsthand account of surviving this catastrophic complication of childbirth and its prolonged aftermath. Nursing interventions based on these findings can be designed to help women heal from AFE.
