Effective communication at childbirth

Communication during childbirth plays an important role both for the midwife and the woman in labor. It is not easy at all to establish the first contact between the midwife and the client and to create a close relationship between the two. All the more so it is difficult to be able to duly and correctly communicate in a hectic environment of a delivery room with several women in labor and shortage of medical personnel.The theoretical part of this bachelor thesis focuses on individual types of communication, effectiveness of communication, pain during childbirth which affects communication with the client, empathy in the delivery room and client´s mental changes during the individual stages of labor. The practical part focused on satisfaction of women with the level of communication during childbirth and whether an effective communication of the midwife side may lead to a better managed childbirth. The thesis used quantitative research with anonymous questionnaires. The researched group consisted of women after childbirth hospitalized at the puerperium ward in the hospital in České Budějovice. 110 questionnaires were distributed in total and 104 were returned (95 %), while 5 questionnaires were eliminated as they were not filled out completely. The overall sample represented 99 (100%) of the questionnaires. The following 2 objectives were established, including related hypotheses: 1. to determine satisfaction of women with the level of communication during childbirth and 2. to determine whether effective communication on the midwife´s side leads to a better managed childbirth by women in labor. Both the objectives have been met. The following two hypotheses were formulated: 1. Women in labor were satisfied with the level of communication during childbirth and 2. Effective communication on the midwife side leads to a better managed childbirth. The hypotheses have been confirmed. The results have shown that clients were satisfied with the level of communication during childbirth and that effective communication on the midwife´s side resulted in a better managed childbirth. This bachelor thesis may serve as a study material about the most effective methods and forms of communication during childbirth for midwives, students of midwifery, medical students and physicians. The result of the research is an information leaflet for implementation of communication courses for midwives