Baby friendly health initiative coordinators meeting: A snapshot

Supporting, protecting and promoting breastfeeding is one of our midwifery responsibilities. Midwives, child and family nurses, lactation consultants and other health professionals across the globe are working hard to fulfill this responsibility for women and children in different communities. This year we had the Baby Friendly Health Initiative (BFHI) Coordinators\u27 Network Meeting in the Netherlands with one or two representatives of 25 countries attending in person and 8 countries attending online. The representatives at this BFHI coordinators meeting were mainly from developed countries. We were privileged to represent ACM BFHI at this international network meeting. This article takes you with us on our journey in the Netherlands, and includes important snapshots on what we learned from the others

Using a novel approach to explore women\u27s caesarean birth experience

How a woman experiences birth is influenced by how she is treated, and who has power and control in the birthing environment. Focus on \u27delivery\u27 of an infant disregards the transformative event for the woman, with poorer physical and psychological outcomes. New evidence is needed to understand how to prevent trauma and improve maternal wellbeing.This paper presents a feminist methodology to view the lived experience of caesarean birth. Feminist birthing theories integrated with a phenomenological perspective provide insight for those working in maternity care and create a novel framework for researchers considering the position of women in a medicalised healthcare system. Feminist phenomenology with a theoretical feminist overlay refreshes the methodological framework for a new understanding of how this perinatal event impacts women

Sufficient exercise for Australians living with dementia in residential aged care facilities is lacking: An exploration of policy incoherence

Along with cognitive decline, dementia is characterised by changes in emotional control, social behaviour and physical performance.1 Individuals living with dementia often require assistance with their activities of daily living as dementia progresses.2 Requirements for higher levels of care result in more individuals with dementia living in residential aged care facilities (RACFs); up to 52% of all individuals living in RACFs have a diagnosis of dementia

Respectful maternity care and its relationship with childbirth experience in Iranian women: a prospective cohort study

BACKGROUND: Intrapartum respectful maternity care is defined as a fundamental human right that can affect the mother\u27s experiences. This study aimed to determine the status of respectful maternity care and its relationship with childbirth experience among Iranian women. METHODS: This prospective cohort study recruited 334 postpartum women in postpartum wards of two public and four private hospitals in Tabriz, Iran. Quota sampling was used based on the number of births in each hospital. Data were collected through interviews with the use of the following tools: sociodemographic and obstetrics characteristics questionnaire, respectful maternity care scale (6 to 18 h postpartum), and childbirth experience questionnaire (30 to 45 days postpartum). The General Linear Model was used to determine the relationship between respectful maternity care and childbirth experience. RESULTS: The mean respectful maternity care score was 62.58 with a range of 15 to 75, and the total childbirth experience score was 3.29 with a range of 1 to 4. After adjusting for sociodemographic and obstetrics characteristics, a statistically significant direct correlation was found between respectful maternity care and a positive childbirth experience (P \u3c 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The findings reveals a direct relationship between respectful maternity care and positive childbirth experience. Therefore, it is recommended that mangers and policy makers in childbirth facilities reinforce facilitating a respectful maternity care to improve women\u27s child birth experience and prevent potential adverse effects of negative childbirth experiences

Financial hardship and Australian midwifery students : A scoping review and thematic analysis

Problem: Despite the pressing need to grow the Australian midwifery workforce, the rising cost of living is making midwifery education programs unaffordable for many. Understanding of the financial hardships faced by Australian midwifery students is currently limited. Background: Attrition from midwifery programs is high and rising. In Australia, this is further compounded by the financial pressures brought about by the cost-of-living crisis. Attending compulsory unremunerated clinical placements and being ‘on call’ for continuity of care experiences contributes to the financial challenges of midwifery students. Aim: To identify and synthesise available literature addressing financial hardship faced by Australian midwifery students during their studies. Methods: Arksey and O’Malley’s framework guided this scoping review. Six databases were searched between January 2020 and April 2024. The key findings of eight included papers were thematically analysed. Findings: Four themes were identified; “Attending placements and supporting COCE’s as key contributors to financial hardship”, “Impacts of financial hardship on midwifery students and their wider family”, “Impacts upon the future growth and diversity of the profession” and “The need for universal financial support”. Discussion: The findings highlight the nature of financial challenges, causational factors and the consequences of financial hardship associated with completing midwifery programs in Australia. Appropriate universal financial support is urgently needed if we are to grow and sustain the midwifery workforce. Conclusion: With no primary studies specifically exploring financial hardship faced by Australian midwifery students, further research is required to understand the challenges they face and evaluate the efficacy of funding initiatives

Fear of childbirth, anxiety and depression in three groups of primiparous pregnant women not attending, irregularly attending and regularly attending childbirth preparation classes

BACKGROUND: Lack of knowledge and fear of the unknown during pregnancy and childbirth make mothers fearful, worried, and anxious. Maternal fear and anxiety can lead to problems such as preterm childbirth and low birth weight. Increasing women\u27s knowledge through prenatal education can prepare them for childbirth and improve their health. The present study was conducted to compare fear of childbirth, anxiety and depression during pregnancy in three groups of primiparous pregnant women who were either not attending, irregularly attending, or regularly attending childbirth preparation classes. METHODS: A total of 204 primiparous pregnant women attending health centers in Tabriz, Iran, were selected by cluster sampling and assigned to the following three groups: Not attending, irregularly attending (attending one to three sessions of classes) and regularly attending (attending four to eight sessions of classes). Childbirth fear, pregnancy anxiety and depression questionnaires were completed for them through interviews. The general linear model was used to compare their fear of childbirth and prenatal anxiety and depression. RESULTS: According to the general linear model, the scores of fear of childbirth (p \u3c  0.001), anxiety (p \u3c  0.001) and depression (p = 0.006) were significantly lower in the group of pregnant women regularly attending the classes compared to the non-attending group of women. No significant differences were observed between the regularly-attending and irregularly-attending groups in terms of fear of childbirth (p = 0.066), anxiety (p = 0.078), and depression (p = 0.128). CONCLUSION: Prenatal training can reduce fear, anxiety and depression in primiparous women. Incorporating such training into prenatal care helps improve maternal health

Iranian women’s perception on the determinants of birth experience : A qualitative study

Background The prevalence of cesarean birth in Iran is very high. Having a negative childbirth experience is one of the reasons that primiparous women provide to prefer caesarean birth over a vaginal birth. This study is aimed to understand women’s perspective on what determines a positive or negative birth experience for them. Methods This qualitative study is a part a mixed method study that was conducted among primiparous women with a previous vaginal birth experience. The purpose of the main study was to develop a guideline based on Iranian primiparous women’s birth experiences. The quantitative phase of the study was a cross-sectional study where women’s childbirth experiences was measured in a survey via the Childbirth Experience Questionnaire-2. In the qualitative part of the study, women were invited for an in-depth interview via a random stratified sampling method based on their childbirth mean score (women with 10% of the upper bound score which indicated a positive birth experience and 10% of the lower bound indicating negative birth experience, n = 17). Conventional content analysis was used for data analysis. Results We extracted three main themes: (a) “Internal control”, (b) “External control”, and (c) “Support”. Possessing internal control, having a balanced external control to feel cared and feeling supported were the main reasons for women to feel positive about their birth experiences. Whereas, loss of internal control, imbalanced external control and unsupportive environment were related to their negative childbirth experiences. Conclusion Considering that women’s sense of control, the care and support that they receive can influence their childbirth experiences, there is a need for changing maternity policies and practices to highlight the importance of a woman-centred care to create a pleasant, respectful and positive memory for primirparous women who experience normal vaginal births

Psychometric properties of satisfaction with the childbirth education class questionnaire for Iranian population

Background: Childbirth preparation classes can reduce pregnant women's anxiety and fear for their childbirth. However, to evaluate women's feedback and their satisfaction with these classes, there is a need for a standard instrument that is suitable for Iranian context. This study is aimed to translate and conduct a psychometric analysis of the Satisfaction with the Childbirth Education Class Questionnaire (SCECQ) for Iranian population. Methods: The questionnaire was translated from English into Persian through the forward-backward translation method. The cluster sampling method was employed to select 205 pregnant women with gestational age of 35-37 weeks from all health complexes of Tabriz, Iran. The face, content, and construct validity of the research instrument were assessed through exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. Internal consistency and test-retest reliability were measured to evaluate the overall reliability of the questionnaire. Results: The impact scores of all items were above 1.5. The content validity index (CVI) and content validity ratio (CVR) of the questionnaire were 0.88 and 0.94, respectively. The convergent construct validity of the whole questionnaire and those of its three subscales were confirmed through the exploratory factor analysis (EFA). The factor loadings of no items were below 0.3, and the X2/df ratio was smaller than 5. The overall model validity was confirmed by having the Root Mean Square Error of Approximation (RMSEA) smaller than 0.08. Cronbach's alpha and intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) were 0.93 and 0.96, respectively, indicating the acceptable reliability of the questionnaire. Conclusion: The Persian version of this questionnaire, entitled SCECQ is a valid and reliable instrument for measuring Iranian women's satisfaction with childbirth education classes

What can be done to increase the duration of breastfeeding?

Meeting Abstract