An exploration of women’s experience following Post-Partum Hemorrhage

Abstract

Post-partum hemorrhage (PPH) is recognized as a leading cause of maternal morbidity and mortality. Assessing physiological and emotional experiences of mothers who experienced PPH could contribute to improved treatments as well as to enhance the quality of life of such mothers. The purpose of the study is to explore the experiences of PPH amongst post-natal mothers. A phenomenological design was carried out to explore the experiences of purposively selected twenty post-natal mothers, who had experienced PPH within first 24 hours following the delivery during February to April 2018 in the obstetric section at the Provincial General Hospital Kurunegala. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to collect data. A qualitative thematic analysis identified three themes from the data: struggle between life and death, loss of normalcy and inadequate information. Struggle between life and death emerged following the feeling of lethargy due to severe blood loss. Loss of normalcy was due to pain, less bonding with the infant and loss of intimacy. Inadequate communication between the health care professionals and the mother caused them to feel helpless leading to a lack of information about the situation. In conclusion, PPH created major physiological and emotional distress to mothers. All these experiences collectively affect the quality of life of the mother as well as the baby. Hence, healthcare professionals should give more attention to pain management process to relieve discomfort and promote ambulation, well as positively support to buildup bonding with baby