Effect of communication in the childbearing process on women's birth experience

Aim: The quality of relationships is fundamental for the quality of care provided during labor and childbirth. Support and especially communication during labor and childbirth are very important for enhancing of birth experience of women. The aim of this research is to find out the effect of communication between midwives and women in the childbearing process on birth experience. Material and Methods: This research is a descriptive research. Sampling of the research is consisted from 353 women who were giving birth by vaginal delivery in a hospital depended to Health Ministry in Izmir on March 2016 – October 2016. Data of the research were collected by individual meetings by using "Puerperant Description Form", "Form of Assessment of Communication Perception of Women in the Childbearing Process" and "WIJMA Scale, B Version of Expectation of Giving Birth /Experience". SPSS 15.00 for Windows program was used for analyzing of data. Frequency, Percentage, Mean, Standard Deviation, Chi Square and Correlation were examined in the analysis of the data. Results: Average age of the women participated to the research is 26,72 ± 5,05. 88,7 % of women gave birth by the midwife and 11,3 % of them gave birth by midwife and doctor. Average point of the women who have got from Form of Assessment of Communication Perception of Women in the Childbearing Process was found as 25,03±6,52 (max: 33,00). Average point of women have got from WIJMA Scale, B Version of Expectation of Giving Birth /Experience is 89,95±23,08. Negative moderate significant relationships was found on communications and expectatios / experiences (r= ­,36; p<0,05). There was a statistically significant relationship between the birth experience of the person with whom they wanted to have their births (p<0,05). Conclusion: The quality of relationships are key elements in a positive birth experience. Positive communication that women perceive during labor affects their birth experience positively. Key Words: Midwife, communication, childbearing process, birth experience