Women’s Voices, Women’s Realities; Experiences of Respectful Maternity Care During Childbirth in Jos, Nigeria

Abstract

Introduction: Maternal health has gradually shifted over the years from emphasizing maternal mortality reduction to encouraging respectful maternity care (RMC). Although respectful maternity care is advocated, widespread instances of disrespectful childbirth treatment in maternity facilities have been reported. Nigeria continues to have one of the highest levels of disrespectful care in the world, which calls for a contextual understanding of the experiences of women during childbirth. the study therefore aimed to understand the experiences of respectful care among women who delivered in two hospitals in Jos, Nigeria. Methods: This research was performed using a qualitative, phenomenological approach involving in-depth interviews conducted on purposefully selected 13 mothers who delivered in the labor ward of two selected hospitals. The thematic analysis procedure was used to create the findings of the study are summarized in three major thematic areas: women associated respectful care with labor pain management; women linked respect to having their needs met; and women want to be respected. Descriptive accounts of the study information were analyzed using Nvivo software. Results: The findings of the study are summarized in three major thematic areas: women associated respectful care with labor pain management, women linked respect to having their needs met, and women want to be respected. Discussion: Given that their expectations were not satisfied, the women in this study expressed a tone of discontent with the realities of childbirth. The results point to the necessity of reorganizing labor ward settings to permit companionship and midwives' training on respectful maternity care, stressing the need to meet the expectations and needs of women during childbirth.