Anwar Nader AlKhunaizi

Introduction: Experiencing birth trauma can result in various mental health issues, such as posttraumatic stress disorder, postpartum depression, anxiety, and challenges with bonding. Typical signs of traumatic childbirth include flashbacks, nightmares, avoidance of reminders, physical distress when triggered, loss of sexual intimacy, neglect of gynecological care, mood swings, anger, and social withdrawal. This study is novel and significant providing in-depth insights that are often absent from existing literature. Objectives: To investigate the traumatic birth experiences of Saudi mothers, as well as their perceptions of and reactions to traumatic childbirth. Methods: An interpretative phenomenological qualitative study was conducted in one government hospital in the eastern province of Saudi Arabia. This study employed a purposive sampling method to recruit participants. The data collection involved conducting semistructured interviews with 15 participants whose first childbirth occurred within the previous 18 months and who perceived their birth experience or their baby's arrival as traumatic. Results: An interpretative phenomenological analysis was used to analyze the data. From the analysis, one core category was identified when birth turns from a happy event into trauma, along with three themes: (a) birth trauma, (b) experiences of obstetric mistreatment, and (c) unable to experience positive emotions. Conclusion: This study explored mothers’ traumatic birth experiences and their emotional reactions, highlighting the need for better support and communication. The findings suggest that women should have the chance to share their childbirth experiences and should be assessed postpartum for signs of psychological distress. Implementing continuous, compassionate, and woman-centered care, involving partners, and understanding birth experiences can improve postnatal well-being. The findings suggest that midwives should focus on psychological health, with antenatal screening for birth-related fears, to identify at-risk women and tailor care to prevent trauma. Healthcare providers should prioritize continuous, woman-centered care as a vital part of organizational improvements to better address women's needs.

Birth is a process encompassing neurohormonal, physiological, and psychological elements, primarily controlled by oxytocinergic mechanisms. Neurohormonal p

Pregnancy is a significant transitional life experience that can be one of the most stressful experiences in life. Childbirth education is designed to improve health behaviors and offers information on psychological and physical changes that occur in pregnancy, signs that labor has begun, hospital routines and what to expect, how to manage pain through non-pharmacological strategies, the first hours of a newborn’s life, and the benefits of breastfeeding. Healthcare providers play an essential role in this education. To discover how healthcare providers view childbirth education classes, we explored their perceptions in relation to the quality of care and positive childbirth experiences. An interpretative phenomenological qualitative approach was conducted in three government hospitals in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. Data collection involved conducting semi-structured interviews with 15 participants. The sample consisted of physicians, nurses, and educators, ensuring a diverse range of perspectives. An interpretative phenomenological analysis was conducted for data analysis. One core category (Road to a Pleasant and Safe Journey) with three themes (Mother’s Experience, Obstacles, and Struggles of Healthcare Providers, and Solutions & Suggestions) emerged from the data analysis. The study findings indicate that childbirth education programs boost maternal health and facilitate a more positive delivery experience. Receiving childbirth education about natural and instinctive childbirth was necessary for low-risk mothers to experience a positive childbirth experience. The education also enabled mothers to feel in control during pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. From the results of this research the following recommendations can be made: childbirth education should be mandatory for all hospitals and primary healthcare institutions in the Kingdom and its curriculum should be standardized by the ministry of health and all healthcare providers employed in maternity care should be required to attend the standardized childbirth education programs.

Background Birth is a process which encompasses neurohormonal, physiological and psychological elements, but is mainly controlled by oxytocinergic mechanisms. Neurohormonal processes can be impacted negatively by the external environment, since an unknown and stressful environment can trigger the sympathetic nervous system, and thus repress the amount of endogenous oxytocin being released. This, in turn, can weaken or even stop labor contractions. Alternative birth environments can not only reduce the effects of negative healthcare, but can also result in women having a positive perception of patient-centered care and its capacity to meet the health and social care needs of future generations. Methods An interpretative phenomenological qualitative approach was conducted in a government hospital in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. Data collection involved conducting semi-structured interviews with 15 participants. The sample consisted of physicians, and midwives, ensuring a diverse range of perspectives. Results An interpretative phenomenological analysis was conducted for data analysis. One core category Supportive Birth Environment for Natural Childbirth with four emerged from the data analysis. The four themes are: supporting natural birth through room design; providing private space through the new design; the influence of birthing room design on midwives’ roles; and suggestions and recommendations. Conclusion All participants demonstrated awareness of the advantages of the new birth room design for the mothers' psychological well-being and normal, natural childbirth, which can help contribute to a positive experience during their hospital stay. However, additional efforts are required to deliver massage to the decision-makers and responsible authorities at the Ministry of Health about the significance of the new birthing room design on the mothers’ experience, aiming to foster their understanding of the importance of redesigning the birthing room at the national and international level.

Retaining midwives and registered nurses in the Obstetrics and Gynecology department/unit (OB/GYN) is not just a matter of organizational effectiveness and financial wellness. It’s a crucial aspect of ensuring quality healthcare delivery. This study aimed to discuss the degree to which midwives and nurses in OB/GYN departments are structurally empowered, resilient, and committed to remaining at the organizations and to examine whether nurses’ and midwives’sense of structural empowerment and resilience is a good predictor of their decision to stay with the organization. This study employed a unique convergent parallel mixed methods approach. The research was conducted in two distinct phases. The first phase involved a cross-sectional quantitative survey with a convenience sample of 200 midwives and nurses in OB/GYN departments. The second phase was a qualitative study utilizing semi-structured, open-ended interviews. Eighteen nurses and midwives, specifically chosen as the target population, were invited to participate in individual interviews. The data collection took place at three major hospitals in Saudi Arabia, starting in January 2023 and concluding in February 2023. The study results revealed that structural empowerment and resilience were statistically significant predictors of the intent to stay in the organization (F = 35.216, p < 0.001), with 26.3% variation, the structural empowerment is higher predictor (β = 0.486, p < 0.000) to intent to stay if compared to resilience (β = 0.215, p < 0.008). Five major themes emerged from the narratives of the nurses and midwives: the nurturing of the physical and physiological, the development of the psychological, the managing finances, the restructuring of the organization, and the enrichment of the professional and occupational. The study’s findings have significant implications for healthcare organizations. They highlight the importance of cultivating a culture of empowerment and resilience, which can serve as a powerful tool to encourage registered nurses and midwives to remain in their organizations. This insight empowers healthcare administrators, human resource managers, and obstetrics and gynecology professionals to take proactive steps toward improving retention rates.

Background: Pregnancy is a significant transitional life experience that can be one of the most stressful experiences in life. Childbirth education is designed to improve health behaviors and offers information on psychological and physical changes that occur in pregnancy, signs that labor has begun, hospital routines and what to expect, how to manage pain through non-pharmacological strategies, the first hours of a newborn’s life, and the benefits of breastfeeding. Healthcare providers play an essential role in this education. To discover how healthcare providers view childbirth education classes, we explored their perceptions in relation to the quality of care and positive childbirth experiences. Methods: An interpretative phenomenological qualitative approach was conducted in three government hospitals in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. Data collection involved conducting semi-structured interviews with 15 participants. The sample consisted of physicians, nurses, and educators, ensuring a diverse range of perspectives. Results: An interpretative phenomenological analysis was conducted for data analysis. One core category (Road to a Pleasant and Safe Journey) with three themes (Mother’s Experience, Obstacles, and Struggles of Healthcare Providers, and Solutions & Suggestions) emerged from the data analysis. The study findings indicate that childbirth education programs boost maternal health and facilitate a more positive delivery experience. Conclusions: Receiving childbirth education about natural and instinctive childbirth was necessary for low-risk mothers to experience a positive childbirth experience. The education also enabled mothers to feel in control during pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. From the results of this research the following recommendations can be made: childbirth education should be mandatory for all hospitals and primary healthcare institutions in the Kingdom and its curriculum should be standardized by the ministry of health and all healthcare providers employed in maternity care should be required to attend the standardized childbirth education programs.

A labor companion of choice during childbirth is crucial for improving women’s birth experience and confidence to give birth. Labor companions provide various benefits, including enhanced communication, emotional support, non-pharmacological pain relief, and better healthcare. However, little is known about the supportive actions of labor companions with respect to women’s needs during labor and birth, as well as healthcare providers’ perceptions of labor companions. Therefore, this study was conducted to explore the perceptions of healthcare providers and women regarding labor companions. The study utilized an interpretative phenomenology research design. Data collection involved conducting semi-structured interviews with 14 participants. The sample consisted of mothers, physicians, and nurses, ensuring a diverse range of perspectives. An interpretative phenomenological analysis was conducted for data analysis. Five themes were identified: (a) impact of companionship, (b) benefits for healthcare providers, (c) companion roles, (d) loneliness and alienation of mothers, and (e) challenges of implementation. The findings indicated that the presence of a companion reduces the need for unnecessary medical interventions and eases the workload of healthcare providers. Without a companion, mothers often feel lonely and disconnected during the birthing process. The presence of companions is often hindered by space limitations in delivery rooms, the absence of clear policies, and lack of childbirth education programs for companions. Clear policies, education programs, and adequate space are essential for implementing and promoting labor companionship during childbirth.

Background: Music can be used as a complementary intervention to bring about a positive effect on the quality of life. It has been widely employed in clinical practice as one of the earliest forms of treatment. Despite the fact that music therapy is widely utilized and practiced in clinical and educational contexts, it has received little attention in formal medical settings. In addition, contradictory findings about the effect of music deserve further investigation. Purpose: This meta-analysis is conducted to examine the effect of music therapy on heart rates among adult patients. Methods: The MEDLINE, CINAHL, PsycInfo, Cochrane Library, and PubMed databases were used for searching the literature. The literature review was conducted by two independent researchers using the following Medical Subject Headings terms: musicotherapy OR music therapy, AND heart rate OR vital signs AND clinical trials as the topic. Standard mean difference (SMD) with 95% confidence interval (CI) values was used to evaluate the effect of music therapy on heart rates. Results: Out of 194 studies, 12 studies were included with 1,118 patients. According to the results of the meta-analysis, the heart rates in the experimental groups in which music therapy was used with various diagnoses of adult patients were found to be significantly different in comparison with the control group (SMD=-0.450, 95% CI=-8.86 to -0.31, p=0.04).Conclusion:The results established that using music therapy for adult patients reduced their heart rates. However, the heterogeneity among the studies was high. Therefore, it is recommended that high-quality trials are warranted to confirm the benefits of music therapy interventions among adult patients.