Prenatal care needs, availability, accessibility, use, and satisfaction: a comparison of military women within and outside the continental United States.

This article presents the results of a survey distributed to military women within and outside the continental United States (CONUS and OCONUS) who had received prenatal care and delivered at one of six Army, Navy, or Air Force military facilities. This comparative descriptive study was undertaken to determine from the mothers' perspective (1) their needs, availability, accessibility, use, satisfaction, and preferences for prenatal care services, and (2) if prenatal care and birth outcomes were significantly different for CONUS versus OCONUS women. Both groups reported a high degree of satisfaction with services, clinics/offices, and health care staff. Significant group differences were reported in transportation, length of travel time, and cost of traveling, with the CONUS group reporting greater problems with each. For both groups, quality and consistency of health care were the two most important factors in their preference of provider. More than 20% of the mothers reported receiving no information on some of the common concerns of pregnancy. There were no significant group differences with regard to infant birth weight or length of hospital stay.

Exploration of facilitators and barriers to prenatal care among military women.

Early and regular prenatal care has been shown to decrease the incidence of adverse pregnancy outcomes; however, little research has examined it experientially from the mother's perspective. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the experience of prenatal care from the military mother's perspective. Using purposive sampling, 16 women who had recently given birth were interviewed. The data were analyzed using a qualitative descriptive research methodology to elicit categories of substantive concepts, ideas, or themes. Data explored in this study included availability, use and satisfaction with prenatal care services, and barriers, preferences, and recommendations.

Intrapartum amniotic fluid index and neonatal acidosis. A pilot study to determine the correlation.

The purpose of a prospective study was to determine if there was a significant association between an intrapartum amniotic fluid index (AFI) < or = 5.0 cm and neonatal acidosis (umbilical arterial pH < 7.20 or metabolic acidosis [umbilical arterial pH < 7.20 and base deficit > 10 mEq/L]). In early labor 101 gravidas at > or = 37 gestational weeks underwent a four-quadrant amniotic fluid assessment; at delivery, umbilical arterial acid-base levels were determined. Among women with AFI < or = 5.0 cm as compared to those with AFI > 5.0 cm, the fetuses were more likely to have neonatal acidosis (31.2% versus 17.6%, respectively) and metabolic acidosis (25.0% versus 10.5%, respectively), although the differences were not statistically significant.