Feelings and thoughts of midwifery students during their first birth suite placement: A qualitative study.

This descriptive qualitative study aimed to understand the feelings and thoughts experienced by 4th year midwifery students during the first birth they attended during clinical practice. Focus group interviews were conducted with 22 final year midwifery students in Istanbul, Türkiye December 2020. The transcribed data were analyzed by the descriptive qualitative analysis method. The students experienced not only negative feelings such as fear, torment, anxiety but also positive feelings such as hope, excitement, and curiosity during the first birth practice. The situations that caused negative feelings and thoughts were not only the feelings of the students but also the conditions that negatively affected the care provided to the patient in the clinic. The clinical practice environment affects the feelings and thoughts of midwifery students about the birth process. For this reason, improving the clinical practice environment and supporting students throughout the education process may contribute to the development of positive feelings and thoughts when attending as a student for their first birth suite placement.

The menstrual cup knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors of Turkish women in reproductive age.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors of Turkish women of reproductive age toward menstrual cup. METHODS: This descriptive study was conducted via online platforms with 301 Turkish women between March-June 2023. The Participant Information Form was used to collect the data. A p value of <0.05 was considered. RESULTS: The mean age of the participants was 26.42 ± 7.81 years. The most common used menstrual hygiene product was sanitary pad. Of the women, 72.1 % have heard of the menstrual cup before, however, only 6.6 % of the women used menstrual cups. The 42.9 % of the women who use the menstrual cup had difficulty in using it. The most common concern of women who did not use menstrual cups was that they thought they were uncomfortable and did not know how to use them. Factors such as age, marital status, place of residence, occupation, previous pregnancy and finding the menstrual hygiene product used comfortable was found statistically significantly correlated with the menstrual cup usage. CONCLUSION: In our study, very few of the women use menstrual cups, and nearly half of them stated that they had difficulty in using it. The participants who did not use the menstrual cup most frequently did not know how to use the cup and did not use it because they thought the cup was uncomfortable. It is essential to increase the awareness of reproductive age women about the menstrual cups.

The knowledge levels of midwifery students on contraceptive methods: A cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Effective contraceptives used correctly offer many benefits to both women's and children's health. However, public data reports that the rate at which women use an effective contraceptive method is still insufficient. Midwives, including the students, have an essential role in contraceptive counselling so there is a need to determine midwives' knowledge level on contraceptives. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate midwifery students' knowledge levels of contraceptive methods. DESIGN: Cross-sectional and descriptive study. SETTINGS: Online survey. PARTICIPANTS: 290 midwifery students who met the inclusion criteria. METHODS: The study was conducted between December 2020-March 2021 through Sociodemographic Form and Contraceptive Methods Information Form. RESULTS: The mean age of the participants was 20.93 ± 1.97. There were 7.72 ± 3.21 correct answers to 15 questions measuring knowledge level of contraceptive methods. The most known modern contraceptive method was the condom, and the most known traditional method was the calendar method. 59.7 % of the participants considered the post-coital contraceptive method as a family planning method. The knowledge level on contraceptives of students who had not received prior training before was lower; and the knowledge level of students who received information about contraceptives through their courses in the curriculum was higher than those who learned from other sources. The level of knowledge increased as age and grade increased. CONCLUSIONS: Midwifery students had insufficient level of knowledge about contraceptives. Since midwifery students play an active role in family planning, interventions are necessary to deliver more detailed and accurate information about contraceptive methods.

Effects of Intradermal Sterile Water Injections in Women with Low Back Pain in Labor: A Randomized, Controlled, Clinical Trial.

BACKGROUND: In addition to the pain caused byuterine contractions during labour, continuous and severe back pain is observed in 33% of women. Several pharmacological and nonpharmacological methods are available for managing this pain. Sterile water injection is considered as alternative method for nonpharmacological pain management. AIMS: To assess the satisfaction level and effectiveness of sterile water injection for back pain among women in labour. STUDY DESIGN: Randomized controlled trial. METHODS: A total of 168 term, healthy women with labour pain and severe back pain were randomized into the sterile water injection (study) and dry injection (placebo) groups. Injections were applied to the rhombus of Michaelis in the sacral area. Pain scores were assessed at 10, 30, 60, 120, and 180 min using a visual analogue scale. Additionally, the need for epidural analgesia, Apgar score, mode of delivery, time of delivery, maternal satisfaction, and breastfeeding score were assessed. RESULTS: The mean back pain scores at 30 min after injections were significantly lower in the study group (study group: 31.66±11.38; placebo: 75±18.26, p<0.01). The mean decrease in pain scores after 30 min according to baseline was significantly higher in the study group (study group: 54.82±7.81; placebo: 13.33±12.05, p<0.01). The need for epidural analgesia, time of delivery, mode of delivery, and Apgar and breastfeeding scores were similar in both groups. Maternal satisfaction from the analgesic effect was significantly higher in the study group (study group: 84.5%; placebo: 35.7%, p<0.01). CONCLUSION: The application of sterile water injection is effective for relieving back pain in the first stage of labour and has a sufficient satisfaction level among women.