Designing Recovery: Women and Midwives’ Perspectives on Design Factors in The Postnatal Hospital Environment

Abstract

Background: The postnatal phase is a critical time for women to rest and to recover after giving birth, and the hospital environment can influence the wellbeing experiences of new mothers. Existing research found aspects of the physical environments that are supportive of women during labour and birth, but research focusing on the environmental factors in postnatal environments, where women recover after birth, is limited and important. Purpose: The study investigated environmental factors and spatial features in postnatal environments that make an impact on women’s physical recovery and wellbeing following birth. Methods: Data were collected through online survey questionnaires from 229 postnatal women who gave birth in New Zealand hospitals and from 58 midwives (N = 287) who worked in postnatal settings. Midwives recruited women and their colleagues using a snowball sampling method and provided dedicated links to women and midwives to access the online survey questionnaires. Midwives filled out identical questionnaires as women; the only difference was data related to their demographic characteristics. Descriptive statistics and the independent-samples t-test were used to analyse the data. Results: Women’s and midwives’ have strong preferences for single-occupancy rooms, visual or physical connection to the outdoors, and views of nature, all of which were ranked significantly high, indicating both women and midwives desire personal control in the space, as well as connections to the outside during postnatal hospitalisation. The study participants also indicated a strong preference for air quality and room freshness, adequate daylight in the room, art and nature images and the presence of colours in the interior spaces. These design features were thought to be critical design elements for promoting rest, recovery and psychological wellbeing in postnatal settings. Conclusions: The results of this study highlight the importance of several key environmental design features, providing beneficial insights into women’s psychological recovery and wellbeing and suggesting the need for awareness by architects, and healthcare providers for creating restorative postnatal healthcare settings for women following birth.