OBJECTIVE: To identify women's major physiologic, psychologic, and life-style concerns at 2 and 8 weeks after cesarean delivery. DESIGN: Descriptive study with open-ended interviews. SETTING: Large urban hospital affiliated with a major university. PARTICIPANTS: One hundred six women who had unplanned cesarean deliveries and delivered live, full-term neonates. The mean maternal age was 28.7 years. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The major physiologic, psychologic, and life-style concerns. RESULTS: Seven women reported no concerns at both data points. The number of physiologic concerns that the women expressed decreased markedly from 2 to 8 weeks postdelivery, but the number of psychologic and life-style concerns did not. CONCLUSIONS: These findings reinforce the need for prenatal teaching and postnatal follow-up regarding these concerns.
OBJECTIVE: To identify women's major physiologic, psychologic, and life-style concerns at 2 and 8 weeks after cesarean delivery. DESIGN: Descriptive study with open-ended interviews. SETTING: Large urban hospital affiliated with a major university. PARTICIPANTS: One hundred six women who had unplanned cesarean deliveries and delivered live, full-term neonates. The mean maternal age was 28.7 years. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The major physiologic, psychologic, and life-style concerns. RESULTS: Seven women reported no concerns at both data points. The number of physiologic concerns that the women expressed decreased markedly from 2 to 8 weeks postdelivery, but the number of psychologic and life-style concerns did not. CONCLUSIONS: These findings reinforce the need for prenatal teaching and postnatal follow-up regarding these concerns.