Traumatic experience with vacuum extraction – influence of personal preparation, physiology, and treatment during labor

Jukka Tapio Uotila; Kirsi Taurio; Raili Salmelin; Pertti Kirkinen

doi:10.1515/JPM.2005.068

Article

Traumatic experience with vacuum extraction – influence of personal preparation, physiology, and treatment during labor

Jukka Tapio Uotila , Kirsi Taurio , Raili Salmelin and Pertti Kirkinen

Published/Copyright: September 13, 2005

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From the journal Volume 33 Issue 5

Abstract

Objective: To assess pre-labor attitudes and post-labor experiences of the use of vacuum extraction during delivery. To seek associations between traumatic labor experience and personal preparation, physiology of labor and treatment during labor.

Methods: A total of 205 women filled in a questionnaire within five days of vacuum extraction delivery. The questionnaire was designed to distinguish the group of women having experienced their labor as traumatic from those not having such an experience. The association between explanatory variables grouped as background factors, physiological factors of labor and treatment-related factors in relation to traumatic experience status was studied by bivariate analysis by the chi-square test or Student's t-test. Logistic regression analysis was carried out to examine simultaneous effects of factors. In the first phase, each of the previously chosen groups was analyzed separately, and in the second, all risk factors thus emerging as significant were entered into the final model.

Results: Forty-two women (20%) regarded their childbirth experience as traumatic. Of the background factors, insufficient pre-labor training and a pre-labor desire for extra strong pain relief during the coming labor were significantly more common in the traumatic birth group. Of the physiological factors of labor, unsatisfactory pain relief and a difficult third stage of labor were associated with a traumatic birth experience. The treatment-related factors showed mutual correlation and were strongly associated with birth experience. After logistic regression analysis only four independent risk factors emerged as significant: insufficient support immediately after delivery, the experience of being poorly listened to during labor, insufficient doctor's support during the first stage of labor, and pre-labor training classes considered insufficient.

Conclusions: Treatment-related factors were the most powerful predictors of an adverse birth experience after vacuum extraction delivery, exceeding those related to labor physiology. Thus, the role of treatment and care before, during and after vacuum extraction is emphasized.

Keywords: Adverse birth experience; pain relief; traumatic birth experience; treatment during labor; vacuum extraction delivery

Corresponding author: Jukka Tapio Uotila, MD Tampere University Hospital Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology Box 2000 33610 Tampere/Finland Tel.: +358331164485 Fax: +358331164360 jukka.uotila@uta.fi

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Published Online: 2005-09-13

Published in Print: 2005-10-01

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Articles in the same Issue

https://doi.org/10.1515/JPM.2005.068

Keywords for this article

Adverse birth experience; pain relief; traumatic birth experience; treatment during labor; vacuum extraction delivery