AIM The aim of this study was to answer the question of whether physical activity during pregnancy and participation in childbirth classes prepare women for childbirth; further, does it influence the levels of perceived stress and the occurrence of depressed mood. METHODS 100 women participated in the study. Half of the women had taken part in the childbirth classes before giving birth. A que...

Background. Utilization of professional care during childbirth by women in low-income countries is important for the progress towards MDG 5. In Yemen, home births have decreased minimally during the past decades. Objective. The study investigates the influence of socio-demographic, birth outcome and demand factors on women's future preference of a home or institutional childbirth. Method. We in...

The recent report on maternal mortality in New York City made by the Committee on Public Health Relations of The New York Academy of Medicine clearly shows that the major attack on this problem must be one of education. Physicians and laity alike must be made aware of the difficulties associated with attempts to bring the benefits of present-day obstetrical science to all those upon whom the pr...

BACKGROUND Activities and diet during the postpartum period are culturally dictated in many Southeast Asian cultures, and a period of confinement is observed. Plants play an important role in recovery during the postpartum period in diet and traditional medicine. Little is known of the Kry, a small ethnic group whose language was recently described, concerning its traditions and use of plants d...

The recent report on maternal mortality in New York City made by the Committee on Public Health Relations of The New York Academy of Medicine clearly shows that the major attack on this problem must be one of education. Physicians and laity alike must be made aware of the difficulties associated with attempts to bring the benefits of present-day obstetrical science to all those upon whom the pr...

Maternal mortality rates in rural Tanzania are high. In preparation for the introduction of an intervention to reduce maternal deaths by distribution of misoprostol and erythromycin to women living in rural Rorya District, Mara Region, Tanzania, we conducted a limited verbal autopsy by surveying family members of women who died in childbirth in the previous five years. The purpose of this surve...

BACKGROUND Today, pregnant women are treated as individuals requiring medical care. Every day, more and more technologies, surgical procedures and medications are used even for low-risk childbirths. These interventions can save mothers' lives in threatening situations, although they might be risky for mothers and neonates in low-risk deliveries. Despite the increasing interest in medical care f...

Introduction Childbirth can be a very painful experience, especially vaginally. It have many complications. The obstetrical complications of caesarean section are well studied but its psychological little mentioned. Most women recover quickly after giving birth, others seem to more difficulty. Researchers attempted identify perinatal risk factors for the development post-traumatic stress disord...

BACKGROUND South Sudan has one of the world's poorest health indicators due to a fragile health system and a combination of socio-cultural, economic and political factors. This study was conducted to identify barriers to utilisation of institutional childbirth services in Rumbek North County. METHODS Data were collected through 14 focus group discussions with 169 women and 45 men, and 18 key ...