Understanding and Promoting Birth Satisfaction in New Mothers

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of select maternal psychosocial and experiential factors on birth satisfaction of new mothers during early postpartum. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: This is a descriptive correlational study exploring the relationships among birth satisfaction, breastfeeding self-efficacy, and perceived stress in 107 new mothers in the first 4 days postpartum. Instruments used included the Birth Satisfaction Scale-Revised, the Perceived Stress Scale, the Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy Scale-Short Form, and a researcher-generated demographic form. Quantitative analysis included descriptive statistics, correlation, one-way Analysis of Variance, and multiple linear regression. RESULTS: Birth satisfaction was negatively correlated with perceived stress (r = -.299, p < .05) and positively correlated with feeling prepared for birth (rho = .243, p < .05) and breastfeeding self-efficacy (r = .226, p < .05). The predictive model for birth satisfaction was significant (R = .204, F [6, 99] = 4.225, p = .001), explaining approximately 20.4% of variance in birth satisfaction in the sample. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Stress reduction and management, establishment of realistic expectations for labor and birth, and promotion of togetherness with newborn immediately after birth are nursing priorities to promote birth satisfaction.