Expectancy and the experience of childbirth : the effect of the relationship on postpartum affect

Giving birth to a child can have a major impact on a woman's feelings about herself and her newborn, influencing perceptions and interactions, and having both short and long term implications. In this study the effect of an experience of labour and delivery discrepant or not discrepant with expectations on mood and level of distress postpartum were investigated.Thirty primaparas were pretested on a Labor and Delivery Expectation scale and posttested on an Experience scale two days postpartum. Two mood measures and a Distress scale were administered at this time. The influences of formal preparation for childbirth and of personality variables on the childbirth experience and postpartum mood were also investigated.It was found that a positive mood and low distress postpartum were related to an experience of labour and delivery better than had been expected. An experience more negative than expected resulted in low mean scores for mood with high distress levels