Pregnant Women’s Perception of Pregnancy, Childbirth and Postpartum Care: Literature Review in Developing Countries

Abstract

Background: Approximately 10.7 million pregnant women have passed away from 1990 to 2015 due to obstetric complications. Nearly all of them (99% of global maternal deaths) take place in developing countries. As a matter of fact, most people in dveloping countries have implemented many cultural practices which bring about negative effects on pregnant women’s health behaviour to potentially have greater risk of obstetric complications. Unfortunately, no comprehensive research yet conducted especially on pregnant women’s perceptions of pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum care (PC) in developing countries.      Objective: To identify factors of pregnant women’s perception of pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum care in developing countries   Method: The research was carried out through Literature Review in which electronic database search the so-called database Science Direct, PubMed, Elsevier (SCOPUS), Springerlink, and Google Schoolar was conducted in January 2021. The steps of systematic review were through Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) method.       Results: Modifying factors with pivotal role during the service of pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum care in developing countries are knowledge, ethnicity, socioeconomics, and personality. Most individual beliefs in developing countries are perceived barriers. Whereas, Perceived susceptibility and severity of disease, perceived benefits, perceived self efficacy and perceived threat to make the most use of health service during pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum care are also well-known with variables of external cues to action is among the most popular ones especially with personal experience and information from neighborhood with local habits and belief unsupportive to health service.   Conclusion: Factors to influence perception, practice, and access during pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum care in developing countries are culture, knowledge, distance, education, experience, mental stress, no decision making autonomy and social supports. Thus, comprehensive research on the influence of modifying factors of individual behavior and cues to action needs to be carried out.     Keywords: Perception, Pregnancy, Childbirth, Postpartum Care