Background: Abuse against women in labor starts with subtle forms of discrimination that can turn into overt violence. Therefore it is crucial to work towards prevention and elimination of disrespect and ill-treatment in medical facility perinatal care in which staff allows such abuse. The aim of the study was to analyze the experiences of women related to perinatal care. Special emphasis was put on experiences that had traits indicating disrespectful and offensive care during childbirth in medical facilities providing perinatal care. Methods: This was a cross-sectional survey. A questionnaire was prepared for respondents who gave birth in medical facilities. Information about the study was posted on the website of a non-governmental foundation dealing with projects aimed at improving perinatal care. The respondents gave online consent for processing the submitted data. 8378 questionnaires were submitted. The study was carried out between February 06 and March 20, 2018. The results were analyzed using the Chi-square independence test. The analysis was carried out at the significance level of 0.05 in Excel, R and SPSS. Results: During their hospital stay, 81% of women in the study experienced violence or abuse from medical staff on at least one occasion. The most common abuse was having medical procedures without prior consent. Inappropriate comments made by staff related to their own or a woman’s situation were reported in 25% of situations, whilst 20% of women experienced nonchalant treatment. In the study 19.3% of women reported that the staff did not properly care for their intimacy and 1.7% of the respondents said that the worst treatment was related to feeling anonymous in the hospital. Conclusions: The study shows that during Polish perinatal care women experience disrespectful and abusive care. Most abuse and disrespect involved violation of the right to privacy, the right to information, the right to equal treatment, and the right to freedom from violence. The low awareness of abuses and complaints reported in the study may result from women’s ignorance about relevant laws related to human rights.

(1) Background: AI-based solutions could become crucial for the prediction of pregnancy disorders and complications. This study investigated the evidence for applying artificial intelligence methods in obstetric pregnancy risk assessment and adverse pregnancy outcome prediction. (2) Methods: Authors screened the following databases: Pubmed/MEDLINE, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, EMBASE, and Google Scholar. This study included all the evaluative studies comparing artificial intelligence methods in predicting adverse pregnancy outcomes. The PROSPERO ID number is CRD42020178944, and the study protocol was published before this publication. (3) Results: AI application was found in nine groups: general pregnancy risk assessment, prenatal diagnosis, pregnancy hypertension disorders, fetal growth, stillbirth, gestational diabetes, preterm deliveries, delivery route, and others. According to this systematic review, the best artificial intelligence application for assessing medical conditions is ANN methods. The average accuracy of ANN methods was established to be around 80–90%. (4) Conclusions: The application of AI methods as a digital software can help medical practitioners in their everyday practice during pregnancy risk assessment. Based on published studies, models that used ANN methods could be applied in APO prediction. Nevertheless, further studies could identify new methods with an even better prediction potential.

Background: Extended breastfeeding is rare in Poland, and lack of acceptance and understanding is often evident in public opinion. The ability to provide reliable information about breastfeeding beyond infancy depends on health professionals’ levels of knowledge and attitudes. They are considered by most parents in Poland to be authorities in the field of child nutrition. Research aims: To determine (1) the level of knowledge and the attitudes of Polish health professionals towards extended breastfeeding; (2) the relationship between personal breastfeeding experience and attitudes towards extended breastfeeding; and (3) the relationship between knowledge about breastfeeding beyond twelve months and attitudes towards breastfeeding beyond infancy. Methods: A one-group prospective, cross-sectional, self-report style survey was used. The convenience sample ( N = 495) comprised gynaecologists, neonatologists and midwives. Data were collected via an online questionnaire and the results were analyzed with the use of descriptive statistics, a chi-square independence test, Fisher’s exact test, post-hoc testing, and two-part tables using SPSS. Results: Most of the respondents (76.7%; n = 384) had a low level of knowledge about the benefits of breastfeeding beyond twelve months and even emphasized that this nutritional choice could have negative impacts. There was a positive correlation ( F = 105.847; p = < .01) between levels of knowledge and respondents’ attitudes towards breastfeeding beyond infancy. Attitudes were also influenced by the length of time respondents had breastfed. Conclusion: Healthcare providers have an insufficient level of knowledge about extended breastfeeding and need further education in this area.

In March 2020, daily life was disrupted by the new virus SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19. Pandemic-related prenatal anxiety could lead to depression, a risk factor for adverse pregnancy outcomes ...

The study aimed to identify the difference in communication needs of women giving birth and women during early postpartum. An additional goal includes the analysis of the experience and communication needs through the context of a woman’s approach to childbirth. The study is a cross-sectional, self-report survey; 521 women between 5 and 10 days after birth participated in the study. Women perceived information provided by the medical staff as the most helpful aspect of verbal communication both during labour and early postpartum. Maintaining eye contact with the medical staff was perceived as the most helpful aspect of non-verbal communication. Women were more satisfied with communication during labour and birth than in the maternity ward and those after non-instrumental childbirth were more satisfied with communication compared to the instrumental birth group. Women perceiving childbirth as the natural, physiological process considered verbal and non-verbal communication during and after childbirth as less helpful than women perceiving birth as more risky and requiring interventions. The results of the study emphasize the importance of verbal and non-verbal communication during birth and early postpartum and at the same time different communication needs during these two time points. It also showed that women who perceive labour as a physiological process seem to be less dependent on the communication with the medical staff than women who accept medical interventions during labour and birth as necessary.

Background: Pelvic girdle pain (PGP) is a type of pregnancy-related lumbopelvic pain. This study aimed to examine the prevalence, severity, and factors associated with postpartum PGP in a selected group of postpartum women in Poland.Methods: This was a prospective, observational study. In phase 1, 411 women were recruited 24–72 h postpartum. The prevalence of PGP was assessed by a physiotherapist using a series of dedicated tests. Pelvic floor muscle function and presence of diastasis recti were assessed via palpation examination. Age, education, parity, mode of delivery, infant body mass, body mass gain during pregnancy, the use of anesthesia during delivery and were recorded. In a phase 2, 6 weeks postpartum, the prevalence of PGP and its severity were assessed via a self-report.Results: In phase 1 (shortly postpartum), PGP was diagnosed in 9% (n = 37) of women. In phase 2 (6 weeks postpartum), PGP was reported by 15.70% of women (n = 42). The univariable analyses showed a higher likelihood of PGP shortly postpartum in women who declared PGP during pregnancy (OR 14.67, 95% CI 4.43–48.61) and among women with abdominal midline doming (OR 2.05, 95% CI 1.04–4.06). The multivariable regression analysis showed significant associations in women with increased age (OR 1.12, 95% CI 1.01–1.21) and declaring PGP during pregnancy (OR 14.83, 95% CI 4.34–48.72).Conclusion: Although the prevalence of postpartum PGP among women in Poland is lower than reported in other countries, it is experienced by almost every tenth women shortly postpartum and every sixth can report similar symptoms 6 weeks later. Age, PGP during pregnancy and abdominal midline doming were associated with experiencing PGP shortly postpartum.