How would Mary Poppins fare in labour? Practically perfect? Unlikely.
Lucy Bolger
Richard Sweeney
Michael Foley
Rhona Mahony
10779/rcsi.10787516.v1
https://repository.rcsi.com/articles/journal_contribution/How_would_Mary_Poppins_fare_in_labour_Practically_perfect_Unlikely_/10787516
<p><strong>Introduction </strong>Unrealistic expectations of labour in first time mothers can present challenges to physicians and midwives. This study calculated the percentage of “practically perfect” births in nulliparous women, defined as a labour without intervention, an intact perineum and a positive neonatal outcome.Methods: This was a retrospective study of the nulliparous deliveries that occurred in the National Maternity Hospital over two years (2014/2015). To extract the perfect births, we excluded deliveries <37 >weeks, induction/pre labour Caesarean Section (CS), Artificial Rupture of Membranes (ARM), oxytocin, fetal blood sample, emergency CS/instrumental deliveries, perineal damage and suboptimal Apgar scores.</p>
<p><strong>Results:</strong><strong> </strong>0.8% of nulliparous mothers had a practically perfect birth.</p>
<p><strong>Discussion </strong>Our results provide a useful statistic for clinicians and nulliparous mothers, which could be further validated by similar studies in similar units. The study had a large cohort which objectively quantified perfect births. Research on the subjective perception of perfect births could add value to these findings.</p>
2019-11-22 16:44:09
Expectations
Labor
Mother
Midwives
Physicians
Outcome.
Obstetrics and Gynaecology