Abstract

Despite the fact that literature supports alternative birthing positions, the majority of mothers still give birth in a supine position. Women's understanding and utilization of alternative birthing positions are little understood. There is a deficient data on awareness of parturient mothers regarding usage of alternative birthing positions, which hinders the possibilities of improving labor outcome.

Aim: To assess parturient mothers knowledge regarding alternative birthing positions during labor.

Materials and Methods: The study used an exploratory survey in a Government Maternity Hospital, Jammu and Kashmir where 100 low-risk parturient mothers participated in face-to-face interviews, using a structured questionnaire. A structured interview questionnaire consisting of 04 questions on socio-demographic profile and 10 questions related to awareness about birthing positions was administered to the target population of 100 parturient mothers.

Results: Majority of the parturient mothers (59%) are from the age group 20-30 years. Most of the mothers (76%) reside in the urban area. Majority of mothers were primigravida, housewives, and literate. Majority of mothers (90%) were aware of supine as a birthing position where as the majority of mothers were aware of walking and lateral as labor positions. Majority of the mothers (64%) are unaware about alternative birthing positions.

Discussion: Women who deliver in a maternity facility should be educated about alternative birthing positions so that they may make informed decisions about their own delivery options. Midwives, on the other hand, must be able to encourage and assist women giving birth in various positions that they feel comfortable, therefore continuing education programmers for midwives is a top priority.

Keywords: Awareness; Parturient mothers; Alternative birthing positions; Labor