Pain intensity and immediate puerperal discomforts

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES:The immediate puerperium extends until the 10th day after delivery, and this period is characterized by the return of the woman's body to the pre--pregnancy state. The aims of the study were to identify pain intensity and the major discomforts reported by women in the immediate puerperium period and to analyze the difference in puerperal discomfort according to parity and type of delivery. METHODS:The participants included 107 women attended in a public maternity ward. Pain and discomfort were assessed using the semi-structured physical therapy assessment form and pain intensity was measured using the visual analog scale (VAS). Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis tests were applied to identify differences in discomfort according to the type of parity and delivery. RESULTS: Colic pain related to breastfeeding with 4.81±2.52 intensity was reported by 55.14% of mothers in the puerperium, perineal pain with 4,06±2,09 intensity by 30.84%, low back pain with 4.38±2.09 intensity by 28.97%, breast pain with 4.76±2.63 intensity by 23.36% and cesarean related pain with 5.21±2.01 intensity was reported by 17.75% of mothers. No significant differences in pain intensity were found according to parity. However, significant differences were found for perineal pain intensity and cesarean section. CONCLUSION: Pain intensity evaluated by the visual analog scale was classified as moderate or light.