First-time mothers' satisfaction with labor and childbirth information received: a Malawian perspective.

Giving labor and childbirth information to first-time mothers is one of the challenges facing the nurse/midwifery profession in Malawi. There are many underlying health and socioeconomic problems facing the people of Malawi, particularly mothers in the child-bearing age. This study was carried out in Malawi to explore labor and childbirth information given to first-time mothers at hospitals and in their communities. A descriptive-correctional design was used. One hundred and fifty first-time mothers who had given birth to a live, full-term infant within 8 weeks of the postpartum period participated. The findings of the quantitative results were analyzed using SPSS for Windows. The findings indicated that first-time mothers are not satisfied with the amount of labor and childbirth information given in the hospital settings and that the information given in the community is culturally based and mainly comprises cultural beliefs and taboos of childbirth. The findings of the study have implications for improving how and what labor and childbirth information is given to first-time mothers in Malawi. Recommendations are presented for nurse/midwifery practice, education, management, and research.