This master's thesis discusses the attitude towards the body among women before conception and after their childbirth experience, in relation to their satisfaction with their relationship with their partner after giving birth to their first child.
The theoretical section begins by presenting the childbirth experience and the related factors that lead to a satisfactory childbirth experience (supervision during labour, childbirth expectations, satisfaction with the treatment received during labour, professional support, sense of security). It continues by describing the attitude towards the body among women, pregnant women and new mothers. The theoretical section also discusses their satisfaction with their relationship with their partner, focusing on the period after their first child was born. This is followed by the empirical section which presents the findings of a survey in which 533 women participated.
This survey has established that the attitude towards the body differs between the participants whose delivery ended instrumentally and those whose delivery was spontaneous. As it turned out, the participants with children aged from one month to one year are more satisfied with their relationship with their partner. The participants who had a more positive childbirth experience also showed greater satisfaction with their relationship with their partner. The participants with a negative childbirth experience showed greater satisfaction with the professional support received than the participants with a positive experience. The results have confirmed the hypothesis that the attitude towards the body differs with regard to the period of time. The survey has established that younger participants (from 19 to 25) are more satisfied with their relationship with their partner.
Some of the limitations of this survey, which are described in the discussion, should be taken into account. The research results might provide useful information especially to experts that encounter women of child-bearing age, pregnant women and especially women in labour on a daily basis; by using these findings, they would be able to provide the desired positive childbirth experience.
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