Restorative design factors for postnatal hospital environment: A survey of two hospitals in Nigeria

In many developed countries and increasingly in developing countries, birth occurs in hospitals. Research in the childbirth environment suggests that the physical hospital environment affects a woman’s labour and birth including postnatal recovery experiences. Healthcare facilities with softer, peaceful environments such as artwork displays in the interiors and noise-proof spaces can influence patients’ healing process and offer support to new mothers during the postnatal phase. Existing childbirth environments studies have been mainly from developed countries; they have been least investigated in developing countries. Additionally, most studies are focused on the labour and birth rooms not on the postnatal hospital environment. Research also suggests a need to explore physical childbirth environments that are valued by women from culturally diverse backgrounds to gain insights into design features in the environment that enhance a positive labour and birth, and especially postnatal recovery experience. This study examined the design factors in the hospital environments for postnatal recovery experience using a survey questionnaire among 140 postnatal women who gave birth at two Nigerian hospitals. The findings of this empirical study support the need for a restorative postnatal hospital environment and spaces that potentially contribute to physical recovery of women and their wellbeing experiences after childbirth.