Saudi Arabian Primigravid Women's Experiences of Mindfulness to Reduce Childbirth Stress: A Qualitative Study

• Published in: SAGE open nursing 2023-01, Vol.9, p.23779608231175214-23779608231175214
• Main Authors: Alkhunaizi, Anwar Nader, Alyousef, Seham Mansour, Alhamidi, Sami Abdulrahman, Almoammar, Danah Nasser
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Childbirth & labor; Mental Health Care; Mindfulness; Postpartum depression; Stress; Womens health
• ISSN: 2377-9608; 2377-9608
• DOI: 10.1177/23779608231175214

Introduction Pregnancy is a significant transitional life experience. It can also be one of the most stressful experiences in life and some women go on to develop postpartum depression. Adopting mindfulness techniques during childbirth may allow women to experience less labor pain and require fewer medical interventions, which improve the mother's health. Objective To investigate the effectiveness of mindfulness in reducing childbirth stress in primigravid women in Saudi Arabia. Methods The researcher recruited primigravid women from an antenatal clinic in a government hospital in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. The study adopted a qualitative interpretive descriptive design, using individual interviews to collect the data before conducting thematic content analysis using NVivo 10.1 software. Results Five key themes emerged from the data: (a) stress reduction, (b) recognition of thoughts and feelings, (c) life satisfaction, (d) insufficient knowledge leads to challenges, and (e) empowerment of a spiritual aspect. Conclusions Mindfulness is an effective technique that supports a mother's physical and psychological well-being.