BackgroundValidating a questionnaire/instrument (whether developed or adapted) before proceeding to the field for data collection is important. This article presents the modification of an Irish questionnaire for a Nigerian setting. The validation process and reliability testing of this questionnaire (which was used in assessing previous breastfeeding practices and breastfeeding intentions of pregnant women in English and Hausa languages) were also presented.MethodFive experts in the field of breastfeeding and infant feeding voluntarily and independently evaluated the instrument. The experts evaluated the various items of the questionnaire based on relevance, clarity, simplicity and ambiguity on a Likert scale of 4. The analysis was performed to determine the content validity index (CVI).Two language experts performed the translation and back-translation. Ten pregnant women completed questionnaires which were evaluated for internal consistency. Two other pregnant women completed the questionnaire twice at an interval of two weeks to test the reliability. SPSS version 21 was used to calculate the coefficient of reliability.ResultsThe content validity index was high (0.94 for relevance, clarity and ambiguity and 0.96 for simplicity). The analysis suggested that four of the seventy one items should be removed.Cronbach’s Alpha was 0.81, while the reliability coefficient was 0.76. The emerged validated questionnaire was translated from English to Hausa, then, back-translated into English and compared for accuracy.ConclusionThe final instrument is reliable and valid for data collection on breastfeeding in Nigeria among English and Hausa speakers. Therefore, the instrument is recommended for use in assessing breastfeeding intention and practices in Nigeria.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12884-017-1366-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

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Background This study explored the lived childbirth experiences of ‘middle adolescent’ mothers between 14–16 years of age. Study design A qualitative design was followed with a Husserlian phenomenological approach and Colaizzi's seven steps to unravelling information. Using semi-structured conversations, information was gathered from six middle-adolescent mothers who had normal vaginal births of healthy term infants in two public hospitals in South Africa. Findings An overarching theme of preservation of personhood was identified. Three themes emerged i) unpreparedness for childbirth, ii) an unsettled state of mind during childbirth and iii) feeling overwhelmed by the experience. Conclusion More positive birth experiences were associated with respectful, non-judgmental midwife care and having their mothers as birth companions while humiliation, victimisation and rudeness were associated with negative birth experiences. Recommendations More focus is needed on adolescent-friendly healthcare services and age-appropriate education; continuous labour support; pain management and respectful care during childbirth.

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Curationis 32 (1): 59-66MOU, am bulance, response tim e, Response times of ambulances to calls from Midwife Obstetric Units, although var-^MNS jc(j, are perceived as slow. Delays in transporting women experiencing complications during or after their pregnancies to higher levels o f care may have negative conse quences such as fetal, neonatal or maternal morbidity or death.An exploratory descriptive study was undertaken to investigate the response times of ambulances of the Western Cape Emergency Medical Services to calls from mid wife obstetric units (MOUs) in the Peninsula Maternal and Neonatal Services (PMNS) in Cape Town. Response times were calculated from data collected in specific MOUs using a specifically developed instrument. Recorded data included time o f call placed requesting transfer, diagnosis or reason for transfer, priority of call and the time of arrival o f ambulance to the requesting facility. Mean, median and range o f response times, in minutes, to various MOUs and priorities of calls were calculated. These were then compared using the Kruskal-Wallis test. A comparison was then made between the recorded and analysed response times to national norms and recommendations for ambulance response times and maternal transfer response times respectively.A wide range o f response times was noted for the whole sample. Median response times across all priorities o f calls and to all MOUs in sample fell short o f national norms and recommendations. No statistical differences were noted between various priorities o f calls and MOUs.