Women’s Experiences during Pregnancy and Childbirth: Associations with Socio-Demographic Factors

Background & Objective: Women's experiences during pregnancy and delivery periods are important indicators of maternal care and can affect maternal and newborn outcomes. The present study was conducted with aim to investigate women's experiences during pregnancy and childbirth, and to explore their relationships with socio-demographic characteristics.Materials & Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted on a total of 300 women who had experienced pregnancy, delivery, and at least six weeks of childbirth care were deliberately admitted from Babylon Hospital for women and children. Data were collected using a valid, structured questionnaire that covered socio-genomic characteristics and maternal experiences. Womens’ experiences were scored and classified as poor, medium, or good. The data was analyzed using SPSS (version 24) and Kruskal-Wallis, Mann-Whitney, and Chi-Square tests. P<0.05 was considered statistically significant.Results: Among the participants, 51.3% had moderate pregnancy experiences, 37.3% poor experiences, and 11.3% good experiences, with a mean score of 30.73±9.35. Post-delivery experiences were primarily poor (63.7%), with 31.0% moderate and 5.3% good (mean score=19.56±5.16). Statistical analysis revealed important associations between women's experiences and age, education level, economic status, and residence (P<0.05). Women aged 40 and older with higher education, adequate income, and urban residence reported the most positive pregnancy and delivery experiences. No significant differences were observed on the basis of marital status or business.Conclusion: Women's experiences were generally moderate during pregnancy but were poor during childbirth periods; social-demographic factors strongly affect the results. It is recommended to increase childbirth support and improve maternal care experience.