THE COMPANION DURING LABOUR AND BIRTH: NEW MOTHERS’ PERCEPTIONS

Abstract

A descriptive, qualitative study carried out in a second-level public hospital in Fortaleza-Ceara, with 14 new mothers, with the objective of analyzing their perceptions of the presence/participation of companions during labor and childbirth. Data were collected between August and September 2009, via recorded semi-structured interviews, and the exchanges were organized and analyzed based on their contents. Activities carried out by companions were conversing, providing support and security, and explaining unfamiliar events. The importance of the companion’s participation lay in the minimization of feelings of loneliness which added to the pain the mothers-to-be were going through. The value of choosing acquaintances was noted, with most women choosing their mothers. It was concluded that the care provided by the companions showed itself to be invaluable in providing comfort and well-being to the women during childbirth.

Keywords

• Humanized childbirth
• Labor
• Patients’ companions