Midwives' experiences of sphincter tears
Perineal tears are very difficult to prevent, thus one of the midwife’s responsibilities during childbirth is to minimise trauma to the perineum. This study examines the experiences of eight midwives who attended births that resulted in a sphincter rupture. Midwives from two maternity clinics in nor...
| Published in: | British Journal of Midwifery |
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| Main Authors: | , , |
| Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Mark Allen Group
2013
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.12968/bjom.2013.21.1.7 http://www.magonlinelibrary.com/doi/pdf/10.12968/bjom.2013.21.1.7 |
| Summary: | Perineal tears are very difficult to prevent, thus one of the midwife’s responsibilities during childbirth is to minimise trauma to the perineum. This study examines the experiences of eight midwives who attended births that resulted in a sphincter rupture. Midwives from two maternity clinics in northern Sweden were interviewed using semi-structured questionnaires. Data were analysed using qualitative content analysis and four themes were identified: feeling guilt, shame and failure; working through feelings; needing support from colleagues, and feeling confident with their skills. The category ‘striving to be good at her job’ was found to be common to all four themes. A midwife may feel guilty and unprofessional when he/she is singled out and criticised. Therefore, in order to reduce these feelings and to further develop professional skills, midwives should be offered mentoring throughout their career. |
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