Midwives Experiences of Stress Due to Emergency Childbirths in a Namibian Regional Hospital

Abstract

Midwives throughout the world experience excessive stress when dealing with emergency childbirth situations. Complications may occur during labour and delivery, leading to the lives of both mother and baby being threatened. The midwife is usually the professional who has to cope with the emergency and who must be able to think clearly and act appropriately. The study is significant due to the description of the different emotions experienced during emergency childbirth situations. The purpose of the study was to determine how midwives working in a Namibian regional hospital experienced stress when exposed to emergency childbirth situations. The study design was qualitative, explorative, descriptive and contextual. Ten midwives who had experienced emergency childbirths were purposely selected to participate. Data were collected using in-depth individual interviews until saturation occurred. The interviews were audio-taped and transcribed verbatim. Content analysis was used to identify themes and sub-themes. Trustworthiness was ensured. The findings indicated that midwives were exposed to unique stressors, which compromised their ability to cope. The participants described experiencing a variety of emotions such as anxiety, panic, sadness, relief, joy, guilt and self-blame during and after the crisis. They felt frustrated and angry when they could not render quality maternity care due to staff or equipment shortages. They felt that the excessive stress they experienced could lead to them to experience burnout. It was recommended that midwives experiencing excessive stress should be formally debriefed after each incident and in-house support should be arranged. Stress management workshops should be presented annually.