African American women & unplanned cesarean birth.
OBJECTIVE
To describe unplanned cesarean birth as experienced by African American women.


METHODS
Descriptive phenomenology was used with interviews from seven women who experienced unplanned cesarean birth. Interviews of each woman's birth experience were transcribed and analyzed using Colaizzi's descriptive, phenomenological method.


RESULTS
The findings were clustered into five themes: preparing for childbirth, mistrust, feeling rushed, being fearful, and sacrificing.


CONCLUSIONS
The results from this study contribute to the understanding of psychosocial stressors that are associated with childbirth complicated by unplanned cesarean birth. This study lends evidence to our practice by providing information about how important anticipatory guidance is for expectant women because the possibility of cesarean birth in today's environment is not remote. Discussions about unplanned cesarean births should also be a part of this anticipatory guidance.
Fries
Kathleen S
KS
Department of Nursing, Sacred Heart University, Nursing Program, Fairfield, CT, USA. friesk@sacredheart.edu
D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000523:psychology*; D001294:Attitude to Health / Q000208:ethnology*; D002585:Cesarean Section / Q000523:psychology*; D005239:Fear; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology*; D015404:Nursing Methodology Research; D007744:Obstetric Labor Complications / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology*; D017060:Patient Satisfaction / Q000208:ethnology; D018743:Perinatal Care / Q000379:methods; D011247:Pregnancy; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult