The experience of spontaneous pushing during labor among Chinese women: A cross-sectional questionnaire survey

To explore Chinese women’s experience of spontaneous pushing during the second stage of labour. Women were recruited antenatally in late pregnancy to push spontaneously when in labour. A postnatal survey was conducted to explore women’s experience of spontaneous pushing. The study recruited 112 women and 102 of them completed the postnatal survey, including 14 primiparous women and 88 multiparous women. Multiparous women stated that they had different pushing experience in this birth compared with previous directed pushing and that they were able to follow their own body urges and felt in control of their body and the overall process. Results of Childbirth Experience Questionnaire (Chinese version) revealed the average score of women’s childbirth experience was high, with the mean score of 61.22 (SD=7.863). Multiparous women had higher total scores (P<0.05, d =0.736) as well as the score of dimension 1 ‘Professional support’ (P<0.05, d =1.068). Primiparous women reported higher level of pain during spontaneous pushing (P<0.05, d =0.636). There is no statistical difference in pushing experience between primiparous women and multiparous women (P>0.05). Women reported an overall positive childbirth experience of spontaneous pushing during labour. Additional attention should be paid to primiparous women to improve their perceived professional support during second stage compared with multiparous women.