Mothers’ experiences of labour in a tertiary care hospital

The purpose of the study was to explore and describe experiences of mothers during childbirth in a tertiary hospital in the Limpopo Province. This was achieved through a qualitative research study which was exploratory, descriptive, contextual and inductive in nature. A sample of 24 mothers participated in this study. Data obtained from unstructured in-depth interviews were analysed according to the protocol by Tesch (1990, cited in Cresswell, 1994:155). Five themes were identified, namely mutual participation and responsibility sharing, dependency and decision-making; information sharing and empowering autonomy and informed choices; open communication and listening; accommodative/non-accommodative midwifery actions; and maximising human and material infrastructure. The themes indicated experiences that foster or promote dependency on midwifery care. Guidelines on how to transform this dependency into a mother-centered care approach during childbirth are provided. Opsomming Die doel van die studie was om moeders se belewenis van kindergeboorte in ’n tersiêre hospitaal in die Limpopo Provinsie te verken en te beskryf. Dit is gedoen deur middel van kwalitatiewe navorsing wat verkennend, beskrywend, en kontekstueel was. ‘n Steekproef van 24 moeders het aan die studie deelgeneem. Inligting is verkry deur middel van ongestruktureerde in-diepte onderhoude. Hierdie inligting is geanaliseer aan die hand van Tesch (1990: aangehaal in Creswell, 1994:155) se protokol. Die volgende kategorie is ge dentifiseer, wedersydse deelname en gedeelde verantwoordelik- hede, afhanklikheid en besluitneming, deel van inligting, bemagtiging tot outonomie en ingeligte keuse, oop kommunikasie en luister, akkommoderende/nie-akkommoderende vroedvrou-aksies en bevordering van menslike en materi le infrastrukture. Die resultate van die onderhoude het belewenisse blootgelê wat dui op die bevordering van afhanklikheid in vroedvrouversorging. Riglyne om hierdie afhanklikheid te verander in ‘n moedergesentreerde benadering word verskaf.