Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Effects And Outcomes Of Different Laboring Positions And The Influence From Societal Norms, Amberlyn Heskett

Nursing | Senior Theses

Background

Within labor and delivery, every birth is different. Alarmingly, the U.S. has the highest maternal mortality rate, including death during labor, among developed countries (World Health Organization, 2022). Many maternal deaths may be preventable.

In the U.S., the use of forceps, vacuum-assisted birth, episiotomies, and emergency C-sections are common for women during childbirth. Even though some laboring positions may assist birthing more than others, there often is resistance to allowing various positions due to outside influences, including societal norms, hospital management, and healthcare professional training. Women in labor are vulnerable and look to their nurses for support during the …

Preventing Postpartum Complications Using A Home Visitation Model Of Care, Jenna Ingram

Nursing | Senior Theses

Background

The United States is currently facing a health crisis among the maternal postpartum population. As stated by The Commonwealth Fund in a study released in 2020, “In 2018, there were 17 maternal deaths for every 100,000 live births in the U.S. – a ratio more than double of most other high-income countries” (Roosa, 2020). Most often, mothers with uncomplicated pregnancies and births are discharged soon after the delivery of their new baby. In most outpatient settings, providers do not expect a follow up appointment for the mother until roughly three to six weeks after discharge. During this transition period …

Midwifery Care's Potential To Improve Birth Outcomes And Experiences For Black Women And Infants, Neville Wintergerst-Burch

Undergraduate Theses

Black women and infants experience higher morbidity and mortality rates compared to white women and infants in the United States. Forces of systemic racism and poverty often lead to inadequate access to prenatal care for Black women, and care received is often compromised by implicit bias or barriers related to insurance coverage, impersonal provider-patient relationships, and poor healthcare literacy. Despite the rich history of Black Granny midwives in the United States, most Black women began using physicians for obstetric care in the 20th and 21st centuries. This integrative review explores how improving access to midwifery care for Black women could …

Birth Outcomes For Hispanic Women In South Carolina, Reilly Leaver

Senior Theses

The United States maintains disproportionately high infant mortality rates compared to other developed countries globally (Arima et al., 2009). High barriers to accessing affordable reproductive health care are key drivers behind this phenomenon, with minority ethnic and racial populations in the Deep South region of the United States facing these barriers at much higher rates than their white counterparts (Davis et al., 2020). Factors such as low levels of education, low use of private health insurance, and low participation in prenatal care generally correlate with adverse birth outcomes. Both Hispanic and Black mothers experience these factors at similarly low levels, …

The Lived Experience Of Expectant Mothers During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Bridgette Schulman

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in many changes to obstetric care practices. While the changes aimed to decrease transmission and protect mothers and infants, the study revealed unintended consequences of the changes put in place during COVID-19. Currently, there is a gap in knowledge and understanding of how the changes in obstetric care practices affect women’s perceptions of the birth experience. The purpose of the study was to explore the lived experience of mothers who gave birth in the health care setting during the COVID-19 pandemic through the eyes of those who experienced it. The research question was: What is …

The Lived Experience Of Expectant Mothers During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Bridgette Schulman

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in many changes to obstetric care practices. While the changes aimed to decrease transmission and protect mothers and infants, the study revealed unintended consequences of the changes put in place during COVID-19. Currently, there is a gap in knowledge and understanding of how the changes in obstetric care practices affect women’s perceptions of the birth experience. The purpose of the study was to explore the lived experience of mothers who gave birth in the health care setting during the COVID-19 pandemic through the eyes of those who experienced it. The research question was: What is …