Document Type : Original Research Article
Authors
1 Lecturer, Department of Midwifery, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Wollo University, Dessie, Ethiopia
2 Lecturer, Department of Pediatrics and Child Health Nursing, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Wollo University, Dessie, Ethiopia
3 Assistant professor of Pediatrics and Child Health Nursing, Department of Pediatrics and Child Health Nursing, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Wollo University, Dessie, Ethiopia
4 Lecturer, Department of Midwifery, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Debre Birhan University, Debre Birhan, Ethiopia
Abstract
Keywords
Introduction
Every year, around 303,000 women worldwide die because of problems during pregnancy or childbirth. Developing regions account for approximately 99% (30, 2000) of the estimated global maternal death rate (1,2). Since 2000, Ethiopia has reduced maternal and child mortality by half, but a maternal mortality rate of 412 per 100,000 live births and a child mortality rate of 67 per 1,000 are still too high (3). Efforts to reduce maternal mortality and morbidity have focused on improving provision of and access to facility-based childbirth and, as a result, institutional births are increasing throughout many low- and middle-income countries (4).
Historically women have been attended to and supported by other women during labor and birth. However, in many countries, as more women are giving birth in hospital rather than at home, continuous support during labor has become the exception rather than the norm. This may contribute to the dehumanization of women's childbirth experiences (5,6). Companionship in labor is highly effective in encouragin