Prophylactic Rest After Spin Anesthesia in Women Undergoing Cesarean Section

Abstract

With the rise of medical technologies, childbirth has become a hospital event, which has increased cesarean section rates around the world and especially in Brazil in recent decades. Knowing that cesarean section carries much more risks for postpartum women compared to natural birth, the main obstetric complication associated with spinal anesthesia is highlighted, postdural puncture headache (PDPH). Although there is no scientific evidence about the benefits of prophylactic rest in the immediate post-operative period of a cesarean section, many professionals working in maternity wards continue to routinely recommend this practice. In this sense, the objective of this study was to analyze the nursing team's guidance to postpartum women in the immediate postoperative period of a cesarean section, in relation to prolonged prophylactic rest. This is applied research, with a qualitative approach, exploratory and field research in nature. The study included 49 women who underwent a cesarean section and 15 nursing technicians who work or have worked in maternity wards. Data collection was carried out from February to April 2021, using an electronic form. The research highlighted the lack of preparation of the nursing team in assisting postpartum women undergoing cesarean section, with guidelines based on common sense, such as resting in the supine position on a zero-degree headboard in the immediate postoperative period, without pillows and without the possibility of locomotion, the prohibition of fluid and food intake, as well as the difficulty of promoting breastfeeding and care for the newborn in this position, thus characterizing obstetric violence. Therefore, it is urgent and necessary to update and train these professionals in the mother and child binomial, especially the nurse who is responsible for managing their team, so that they can promote humanized, safe, quality care based on scientific evidence.