The Birth of a First Child: Do Women's Reports Change Over Time?

ABSTRACT: Seventy-two women who had been interviewed three weeks postpartum in an earlier study were re-interviewed two years after the birth. There was a significant decrease over time in their ratings of each of the medical and preparation procedures they had had. Those women who had the one child or who were pregnant with a second child showed no change in overall perception of their labor and delivery after the two-year interval, while those who had had a second child were more negative than at the first interview. Women's recall of the events of their first birth was generally accurate and their pain ratings for all but the second stage labor were not significantly different at the two interviews. The results indicate that “time of interview” is an important factor to take into account in childbirth research.