impact of valsalva's versus spontaneous pushing techniques during second stage of labor on postpartum maternal fatigue and neonatal outcome

Objectives: The objective of the following study is to find out the effects of two different pushing techniques in the second stage of labor on postpartum maternal fatigue and APGAR score of neonates in Saudi females, as very few such studies are available in these patients. Hence this study was carried out in this population to see the results and to do a comparison with other studies in literature as well as to find out how we can make labor awareness in our females

Design: Quasi experimental study

Settings: It was carried out in two hospitals in the eastern province of Saudi Arabia from 1 January, 2011 up to 31 December, 2011. One hundred Saudi women who fulfilled criterion were included in the study. They were randomized and the results seen

Results: There was a significant difference in postpartum fatigue within 60 min and 24 h in two groups as P = 0.001, P < 0.001 respectively. There was a significant difference of APGAR score of newborn in both groups, i.e., P < 0.001

Conclusion: It is concluded that physiological pushing technique has a better outcome with regard to postpartum maternal fatigue and neonatal APGAR score when compared to directed pushing during the second stage of labor

Factors affecting dietary practices among adolescent pregnant women in Alexandria

Pregnancy in adolescence increases nutritional risk due to higher demand of nutrients for maternal and fetal growth. This exploratory descriptive study was aimed to identify factors affecting dietary practices among adolescent pregnant women in Alexandria. A convenient sample of 300 adolescent pregnant women was chosen from four antenatal clinics [Maternity hospitals and M.C.H centers] affiliated to different heath organizations. Two tools were used for data collection: scheduled interviews and a diet scale to assess the dietary practice of adolescent pregnant women. The results revealed that adolescents had a high prevalence of risk factors for dietary practices nearly half of them 48.34% had low income, 48% were illiterate, 62.6% were housewives, 58.7% their weight were below 50 Kg, 61.7% had poor knowledge about nutrition during pregnancy and their dietary intake did not meet all the nutritional requirements of pregnancy. Finally identifying dietary practices among adolescent pregnant women is mandatory

Expectations of pregnant women from nurses and the degree to which nurses meet these expectations

Despite nurses activities, it can be concluded from the study that there is a wide discrepancy between the expectations of pregnant women and the extent to which nurses meet the expectations. Nurses have to be aware of the importance and uniqueness of women's health care issues and health care expectations of pregnant women for quality comprehensive care. Special attention should be paid to the needs of younger primiparas, in their initial visits and design interventions to meet their special needs. The results of the study revealed that there is a need to develop refreshing courses and in-service training programs for nurses to provide them with essential knowledge and practice about antenatal services. It is suggested that the researcher develops a booklet using the 39 items revealed from the expectations of the focus group to be used by nurses as a guide in their role performance. Further research should be conducted to investigate the barriers for meeting the expectations of pregnant women attending MCH centers