Preterm Labour and Delivery

Research Team

  • Principal Investigators: Jude Kornelsen and Stefan Grzybowski
  • Support Team: Leslie Carty and Ashley Love

Communities

  • To be determined.

Funding Agency

  • Canadian Institutes for Health Research

Project Summary

The goal of this qualitative pilot research project is to explore rural women’s antenatal  experiences and perceptions prior to preterm labour and / or delivery. There has been an increase in the rate of preterm delivery (<37 weeks gestation) in industrialized nations during the past decade which has precipitated serious health, social and economic consequences. Previous qualitative research undertaken by the co-Principal Investigators on rural women’s experiences of labour and birth suggest that antenatal stress and anxiety result when parturient women are unable to balance their values around birth with their geographical, health status and psycho-social realities. To date no research has been undertaken to examine the role of stress due to lack of access to local maternity care services for rural women who have experienced preterm labour and / or delivery.

Upcoming Activities

Once ethics has been approved, recruitment of participants in rural communities will begin.  For more information on this project or if you have experienced preterm labour and / or delivery in the last 2 years and want to take part, please contact Barbara Lai, barbara@crhr.ca.