Desirability for Companionship in Labour among Antenatal Antendees of
the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital: A cross-sectional study
Abstract
Objective: To determine the awareness and desirability of
pregnant women attending antenatal clinic of University of Ilorin
Teaching Hospital (UITH), Ilorin UITH for companionship in labour
Design: A descriptive cross-sectional study Setting: The study
was conducted at the antenatal clinic in the department of Obstetrics
and Gynaecology, University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH), Ilorin,
Kwara State, Nigeria. Population: The study populations were pregnant
women who attended Antenatal Care (ANC) services of the UITH. Methods:
Data was collected through interviewer administered questionnaire
between Jan to March 2022 and data was analyzed with SPPS IBM version 24
Main Outcome Measure: Awareness and desirability for companionship in
labour. Utilization of companion in labour Results: Most of the
respondents (57.2%) were aware of companionship in labour. Majority of
the respondents (88.7%) had desire for companionship in labour though
only few of them (18%) had companionship in their previous deliveries)
or knew someone who had it before. All those who had companionship in
their previous deliveries expressed satisfaction with it. Most of those
who desired to have their delivery at facilities with provision for
companionship in labour (63.7%) would prefer it even at an additional
cost of care. Conclusion: The findings of this study showed
that most of the respondents were aware of companionship in labour and
majority of them desired it but its utilization is low.