Possibility of being accompanied by people of their choice in women who gave birth during the pandemic

Abstract

Several studies reveal the importance of the presence of a companion to improve the quality of delivery care and reduce obstetric complications. The companions are people who are emotionally close, trustworthy, chosen by the pregnant woman and from her family/social environment. They offer informational, practical and emotional support. Their function is essential and it is a right established in Law 25,929. The appearance of the Covid-19 pandemic implied the implementation of isolation protocols and later of social distancing worldwide. This work aimed to investigate the possibilities of support to which women in labor had access, before, during and after the birth of their child in the context of a pandemic within the health institution.

A descriptive, cross-sectional study was implemented. Eighty seven women from the province of Córdoba who attended a maternal education center, whose children were born between March 20, 2020 and June 28, 2021 in private health institutions were surveyed. Sociodemographic data, mode of birth and accompaniment before, during and after the child's birth were collected.

The following results were obtained: ages ranged from 23 to 44 years. University level was completed by 69% of respondents, 94.3% live with their partner; 66.7% work and 31% work and study. Regarding the mode of birth, 46% were vaginal and 54% by cesarean section. The greatest accompaniment was after delivery in the room (97.7%); followed with 72.4%, those who were accompanied before childbirth and the lowest percentage of accompaniment occurred during childbirth (49.4%). The deliveries that were accompanied in the 3 moments (before, during and after childbirth), were when they were vaginal (87.8%) vs. 12.2% by cesarean section; and when the only accompaniment that was allowed was in the room after delivery, it corresponded to cesarean sections (p=0.001).

Despite the benefits of being accompanied during the delivery process, the difficulty of implementing it when it is by cesarean section was observed.