Postpartum haemorrhage (PPH) remains one of the leading causes of maternal mortality in Australia and internationally. Severe PPH is a life threatening birth complication that may require an emergency hysterectomy as a last, life-saving measure. Epidemiological studies in Australia have indicated that maternal mortality attributable to severe PPH is increasing. Yet despite this, research that focuses on women's experiences of an emergency hysterectomy following a severe PPH is lacking and the experiential aspects of emergency hysterectomy remain relatively unexplored. Gaining a deep understanding of women's experiences will assist health professionals in the provision of effective health care and appropriate support services. This qualitative study aimed to explore the experiences of women who had undergone emergency hysterectomy following severe PPH. Data were collected through face-to-face, telephone and email interviews with 21 Australian women. The participants were from various socio-demographic backgrounds, and were aged between 24 and 57 years at the time of data collection. Four major themes emerged: 'between life and death'; 'being a mother'; 'loss of normality'; and, 'moving forward'. The first theme; 'between life and death' (reported in paper three) describes the trauma and shock that women experienced at the time of the PPH and emergency hysterectomy together with the realisation that they would be infertile. The second theme; 'being a mother' (reported in paper four), examines how these women struggled with the expectations of motherhood in the initial postpartum period. The third theme; 'loss of normality' (reported in paper five), describes the participants' sense of incompleteness as a woman and their feelings of being in an unfamiliar and different body. The final theme; 'moving forward', presented as an epilogue, describes the way in which women came to find meaning of life following their hysterectomy. This study is the first qualitative study in Australia, and possibly internationally, to provide a full description of the initial events and aftermath of severe PPH and emergency hysterectomy. The findings demonstrate the significant impact this experience has on women's lives and interestingly, it is perhaps the first time that women have spoken positively to professionals of their experience during the initial shock and trauma of coming close to death.
Date of Award | 2012 |
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Original language | English |
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- postpartum haemorrhage
- labor complications
- hysterectomy
- childbirth
- psychological aspects
- motherhood
Australian women's experiences of severe postpartum haemorrhage and emergency hysterectomy : stories of survival
Elmir, R. (Author). 2012
Western Sydney University thesis: Doctoral thesis