Emotions during childbirth in married, middle class, caucasian rural Southern Appalachian first time parents

Childbirth, an emotionally charged experience, marks the entrance into the parent role. The purpose of the study was to explore emotions regarding the phenomena of childbirth in rural Southern Appalachian first-time parents. Open-ended interviews provided access to the rich store of emotional experiences. Transcripts and field notes from eleven couples were analyzed using standard qualitative methodology to reveal emotion categories and themes. Mothers had to be 20 years old, have a medically low risk pregnancy, and have healthy infants. Analysis of the data suggests that fathers' and mothers' emotions differ during the experience. These emotions differed not only according to gender, but also during the three childbirth moments (beginning, laboring, and birthing). Within these moments, examples were noted for each emotional category and theme. Strengths of this study are the inclusion of both parents and the examination of a group (Appalachian residents) that has not been extensively investigated. Recommendations for future nursing research include replication with Appalachian samples having different characteristics and longitudinal studies to examine long-term effects of the quality of the emotional experience during childbirth. Further, additional studies regarding the the father's emotions and role performance during the birth experience are indicated.