Women's Social Support Preferences and Experiences at Birth: A Qualitative Study

Abstract

Aim: The aim of this research; to examine women's social support preferences and experiences at birth. Materials and Methods: Qualitatively, the study was conducted with 13 puerperal women who had a vaginal delivery between June-July 2022 and determined by maximum diversity sampling technique. The data were collected by audio recording with in-depth interview form and face-to-face interview method, and analyzed through content analysis. Results: All of the women (13 people) who participated in the study preferred to receive social support during their birth, this support was mostly in the form of physical and emotional support (10 people) and information support (13 people) throughout the birth process (9 people), from their mothers and health personnel (8 people) stated that they prefer to receive. It was determined that only 4 of the women received social support in their last birth, mostly from their mother (2 people), before the birth (3 people) and emotional support (3 people). Conclusion: In this study, it was concluded that although women needed social support throughout the birth process, they could not receive adequate social support.