Women's Level of Fatigue after Delivery

산부의 피로정도에 관한 연구

  • 김선희 (이화여자대학교 간호과학대학)
  • Published : 2001.08.31

Abstract

Fatigue after delivery affect women's birth experience and interrupt the process of labor. Finally woman cannot have a positive birth result and will experience a postpartum fatigue. But researches about fatigue during the labor are lacked. Nurse help adapting a mother's role, bonding with new baby, recovering after birth, and improving woman's quality of life through decreasing fatigue during the labor and intercepting a continued postpartum fatigue. So it is very important that measuring a fatigue and confirming relationships between fatigue and factors affecting fatigue. The purpose of this study was measuring the level of fatigue within 4hours after delivery and identifing factors affecting fatigue. The ultimate goal was to contribute to improving a birth experience and adapting after birth through decreasing the level of fatigue and interventions. The data was collected for this study at the hospital of two universities and the third hospital in Seoul from Aug. 15. to Nov. 10. 2000. The subjects were 106 of mothers who deliveried a normal newborn and were tested within four hours after birth. The instruments were The Visual Analogue Scale for fatigue, The State Anxiety Inventory, and The Labor Support Inventory. The data were analyzed by using percentage, mean, SD, t-test, ANOVA, Pearson correlation. The results of this study were as follows; (1) The level of fatigue during the labor was 61.48point. (2) The deferences according to general and obstetric character affecting fatigue founded that there were Significant differences according to job(t=2.659, p=0.009), and the type of delivery(t=-2.035, p=0.044). (3) The deferences according to factors affecting fatigue revealed that there was significant difference according to quality of sleep(F=2.935, p=0.037). The significant fatigue and the fatigue after delivery was anxiety(r=0.343, p=0.000). The above findings indicate that the level of fatigue during the labor is higher than during pregnancy and postpartum. Woman having a job, delivering by vacuum was more fatigued. The level of fatigue according to a quality of sleep was significant difference. The poor quality of sleep, higher level of fatigue. And the more anxiety after delivery, the more fatigue. So, the variable nursing interventions for lessening the level of fatigue through appling the situation for rest, relaxation during the labor to reserve energy, and decreasing anxiety should be provided for mothers.

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