The Vertical Birthing Positions and Their Perinatal Outcomes in Hilly Tribal Home Birth Settings: A Qualitative Observational Study

Abstract

This study aims to document the cultural significance of vertical birthing positions and knowledge of easing complicated deliveries among the Porja hilly tribal group, Visakhapatnam district, Andhra Pradesh, India. With the purposive sampling method, 31 postpartum mothers were selected on the inclusion criteria of having been given childbirth in the last six months. The socio-demographic profile of the respondents was presented to understand the socio-cultural living conditions. The qualitative data collection involved 31 face-to-face in-depth interviews with postpartum women and two focus group discussions involving six to eight traditional birth attendants (TBAs) on the cultural efficacy of upright positions. Handwritten transcripts of the interviews and conversations were transcribed and coded into themes and categories. Qualitative themes reveal that the pregnant women with anaemia and morbidity conditions had been exposed to maternal distress and foetal distress (breathing problems and loss of consciousness) but had managed by adopting immediate alternative vertical birthing positions with the suggestion of TBAs. The findings suggest that vertical birth positions are age-old childbirth customs which have been adopted as as a priority option by labouring women, especially in socio-economically disadvantaged societies where medical facilities are unavailable.