Abstract
Objective
To explore the experiences of women in the postpartum period who received the Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses’ “POST-BIRTH Warning Signs Save Your Life” (PBWS-SYL) educational handout at discharge.
Design
Qualitative content analysis.
Setting
Virtual or in-person interviews in Connecticut, New York, and Florida.
Participants
Women (N = 41) who gave birth in the previous 12 months.
Methods
In individual audio-recorded interviews, we asked participants to describe their experiences of receiving the PBWS-SYL educational handout. We used Krippendorff’s method for qualitative content analysis to cluster units within the data to identify emergent themes.
Results
Participants who received the handout emphasized that they recognized potential warning signs during the postpartum period. Conversely, participants who reported that the PBWS-SYL educational handout was not adequately reviewed with them during discharge expressed heightened levels of distress and doubt when they encountered concerns. Analysis of transcripts revealed six overarching themes: The Invisible Pain of the Postpartum Period, Stronger Together, The Art of Active Listening, Lost in the Pile, Postbirth Revelations, and Optimal Discharge Education.