Abstract

Purpose: Cesarean delivery before 39 weeks of gestation increases the risk for respiratory morbidity of infants. Many Taiwanese women receiving cesarean delivery select auspicious time to deliver before the onset of labor. The objective of this study was to examine the effect of selection of specific time for birth on delivery before 39 weeks of gestation.

Methods: This study applied a retrospective cohort design. The study participants were 151 women receiving cesarean delivery who had received prenatal care at 4 hospitals in Taipei and were part of a study recruiting pregnant women without complications during early pregnancy. The study participants filled up structured questionnaires at 20-24 weeks of pregnancy, 34 to 36 weeks of pregnancy, and 5 to 7 weeks after delivery.

Results: Of the 151 women, 48.3% delivered before 39 weeks of gestation and 57.6% had selected a time for cesarean delivery in advance. Mean birth gestation was 38.66 (SD=1.28) weeks. Women who selected specific time for delivery were more likely to deliver before 39 weeks of gestation (66.7% versus 23.4%, < .001). Logistic regression analysis showed that women who had selected a specific time for delivery (OR=5.33, 95% CI: 2.35-12.09), who had disease before pregnancy (OR=3.12, 95% CI: 1.06-9.20), and who had received assisted reproductive technology (OR=10.03, 95% CI: 1.02-98.64) were more likely to deliver before 39 weeks of gestation.

Conclusion: Health professionals should advise women to deliver after 39 weeks of gestation unless the delivery is medically indicated. Consultations on appropriate time to deliver should be provided with special attention to women who want to select an auspicious time and who had received assisted reproductive technology.

Author Details

Chu, Kuei-Hui, RN, MS and Chien, Li-Yin, ScD

Sigma Membership

Non-member

Lead Author Affiliation

National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan

Type

Presentation

Format Type

Text-based Document

Study Design/Type

N/A

Research Approach

N/A

Keywords:

Cultural Characteristics, Cesarean Delivery, Gestational Age

Conference Name

23rd International Nursing Research Congress

Conference Host

Sigma Theta Tau International

Conference Location

Brisbane, Australia

Conference Year

2012

Rights Holder

All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record.

All permission requests should be directed accordingly and not to the Sigma Repository.

All submitting authors or publishers have affirmed that when using material in their work where they do not own copyright, they have obtained permission of the copyright holder prior to submission and the rights holder has been acknowledged as necessary.

Acquisition

Proxy-submission

Share

COinS
 

Selection of auspicious time for delivery is associated with giving birth before 39 weeks of gestation among women receiving cesarean delivery in Taiwan

Brisbane, Australia

Purpose: Cesarean delivery before 39 weeks of gestation increases the risk for respiratory morbidity of infants. Many Taiwanese women receiving cesarean delivery select auspicious time to deliver before the onset of labor. The objective of this study was to examine the effect of selection of specific time for birth on delivery before 39 weeks of gestation.

Methods: This study applied a retrospective cohort design. The study participants were 151 women receiving cesarean delivery who had received prenatal care at 4 hospitals in Taipei and were part of a study recruiting pregnant women without complications during early pregnancy. The study participants filled up structured questionnaires at 20-24 weeks of pregnancy, 34 to 36 weeks of pregnancy, and 5 to 7 weeks after delivery.

Results: Of the 151 women, 48.3% delivered before 39 weeks of gestation and 57.6% had selected a time for cesarean delivery in advance. Mean birth gestation was 38.66 (SD=1.28) weeks. Women who selected specific time for delivery were more likely to deliver before 39 weeks of gestation (66.7% versus 23.4%, < .001). Logistic regression analysis showed that women who had selected a specific time for delivery (OR=5.33, 95% CI: 2.35-12.09), who had disease before pregnancy (OR=3.12, 95% CI: 1.06-9.20), and who had received assisted reproductive technology (OR=10.03, 95% CI: 1.02-98.64) were more likely to deliver before 39 weeks of gestation.

Conclusion: Health professionals should advise women to deliver after 39 weeks of gestation unless the delivery is medically indicated. Consultations on appropriate time to deliver should be provided with special attention to women who want to select an auspicious time and who had received assisted reproductive technology.