Comparison of Mother-Infant Relationship in Turkish Primiparous Women in Accordance with Vajinal Birth and Cesarean Section

Abstract

Objective:The relationship between the mother and the infant begin on the first day of birth and that affects the future life of the infant. Thus, the aim of the present study was to compare the mother-infant relationship between women who had vaginal birth and those who had cesarean section.Methods:This prospective descriptive study was conducted on 300 primiparous women after obtaining the necessary permission. The study sample was categorized into 3 groups: vaginal delivery (VD; n=100), emergency cesarean section (EmCS; n=100), and elective cesarean section (ElCS; n=100). The Descriptive Characteristics Form, Maternal Attachment Scale (MAS), Neonatal Perception Inventory (NPI), and Postpartum Parenting Behavior Scale (PPBS) were used as the data collection tools.Results:The mean MAS score of the mothers was 96.6±5.58; 83.7% of the mothers perceived their babies as positive and 16.3% as negative (according to the NPI). No statistically significant relationship was noted among the MAS, NPI, and the mode of delivery (p>0.05). The mean PPBS score of the mothers was 3.24±1.59 (mean PPBS score by groups; VD =3.62±1.57, EmCS =2.84±1.52, ElCS =3.28±1.60). Mothers who had VD showed higher mean PPBS scores than those who had EmCS (p=0.001).Conclusion:Our results suggest that the mode of delivery affects the parenting behavior during the early postpartum period.

Keywords

• attachment
• mode of delivery
• mother-infant relationship
• parenting
• perception