Author(s): Obute Emmanuella E and Abutu Theresa Enekole

Abstract:
This study analyzed traumatic experiences of mothers during and after childbirth in Makurdi Metropolis, Nigeria. The objectives of the study were to identify the causes of trauma during childbirth and post traumatic experiences of women after childbirth. Two research questions and one hypothesis guided the study. Descriptive statistics was used for answering research questions and t-test was used for the hypothesis. The study employed survey design method. The sample size was 400 mothers. Purposive sampling technique was used. Questionnaire was used for data collection. The findings revealed that the highest causes of trauma during childbirth were midwives’/ doctors’ negligence and giving birth in the hospital where previous trauma occurred (3.45), while the highest post traumatic experience of mothers after childbirth was feeling detached from people (3.67). Result of the test of hypothesis revealed that X2 cal is less than the critical value (P = .000< 675.010) which means that the null hypothesis is rejected. The following were recommended: Pregnant women should be given adequate care and support during delivery by doctors, nurses, midwives and spouses/family members to prevent trauma during childbirth; Governmental and Non-governmental Organizations like the Ministry of Women’s’ Affairs and UNICEF should develope and evaluate an effective model for the prediction of the development of post traumatic experiences after child birth and interventions aimed at reducing the incidence of post traumatic experiences resulting from childbirth.