Title : The effect of the duration of the mother-newborn together stay after caesarean section on the pain and satisfaction level of the mother
Abstract:
Background: Mothers and newborns have an emotional and physiological necessity to be together at the moment of birth and during the first hours and days after that. The rules at Sheba Hospital change from year to year with the aim of improving the mother-newborn bond and reducing separation between them as much as possible. Today there are three options for a mother-newborn stay after Cesarean Section (CS) according to the woman's wishes: 1. A short bonding immediately after birth (Regular CS); 2. Staying together partially until the age one hour after birth of the newborn (Friendly CS); 3. Full stay together of the newborn with his mother without separation at all (Gentle CS). However, it was important to check what is the optimal option of the mother-newborn stay with reference to the additional factors related to CS.
Method: The aim of this study to assess the effect of the duration of the mother and newborn together stay after cesarean section (Regular CS; Friendly CS; Gentle CS) on the pain and satisfaction level of the mother. In the period from August 2023 to May 2024, 37 women participated in the pilot. The level of pain was measured by the Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) (Hawker, Mian, Kendzerska & French, 2011). Maternal satisfaction was measured by the Comforts Scale Questionnaire, which refers to (a) provision of choice; (b) nursing care; (c) teaching maternal and newborn care; (d) privacy; (e) the physical environment; (f) confidence related to newborn care (Janssen, Dennis, Reime, 2006).
Results: According to the results of the pilot, a statistically significant difference was found between the women who chose Regular CS (for most 50% it was their first surgery) and women who chose Friendly CS (for most it was their second surgery or higher) (Pv=0.053), a statistically significant difference was found in the level of pain during stay in the Recovery Ward between the women who chose Regular CS in which 45% of the participants reported strong/very strong pain compared to 9% of the participants after Gentle CS (Pv=0.055), a statistically significant difference was found in satisfaction with the physical environment. The satisfaction with the physical environment was higher in women after Regular CS (µ (ST)-29.45 (4.77)) than satisfaction of women after Friendly CS (µ (ST)-25.83 (5.38)) and Gentle CS (µ (ST)-24.55 (5.61) (0.051 Pv).
Conclusion: There is a tendency in women after repeated caesarean section to improve their birth experience by a Friendly CS. There is an inverse relationship between the duration of the mother-newborn stay and the level of pain at the first two hours after Gentle CS. Women who decide to improve their birth experience by Friendly CS and Gentle CS express a desire for better physical conditions in the postpartum ward. It should be noted that the study is continuing and the number of participants is expected to increase and to change the results.
