Changes in the basic birth beliefs following the first birth experience: Self-fulfilling prophecies?

Abstract

Women's basic beliefs about birth as a natural and as a medical process are associated with childbirth choices and experience. These beliefs have only recently been quantified and not much is known about their development. In the current study, we assessed the differential effects of the objective and the subjective birth experience on changes in these beliefs. Using self-report questionnaires, we evaluated prenatal to postpartum changes among 342 Israeli first-time mothers. Participants were recruited during pregnancy, between February 2016 and January 2017, mostly in clinical settings, and followed-up two months postpartum. On average, women's beliefs about birth being natural weakened following childbirth and their belief about birth being medical strengthened. In regression models, it was either the objective or the subjective experience that was related to change in the basic birth beliefs: A more medicalized birth was associated with strengthening of the medical belief while greater birth satisfaction was related to strengthening of the natural belief. A mediation effect was observed, which indicated that the beliefs are strengthened when the lived experience fulfilled women's expectation about birth being satisfying, natural or medical. This study adds to the growing body of knowledge regarding the development and evolution of the birth beliefs. It highlights the need to view the beliefs separately and to distinctively assess the objective and subjective birth experience. It supports the need to empower mothers, especially those who had more medicalized births or unsatisfactory ones, which would help conserve their belief in their body and in the normal physiological course of birth.

Psychological aspects of childbirth: Evidence for a birth‐related mindset

“…Labor and birth entail physical and psychological challenges such as coping with pain, loss of control, and possibly medical interventions (e.g., episiotomies, forceps or vacuum extraction, C‐sections). However, little is known about psychological factors associated with birth because childbirth has only begun to garner attention in psychological research in recent years (e.g., Preis & Benyamini, 2017; Preis et al., 2018). Nonetheless, studies from other research disciplines (e.g., obstetrics and midwifery) have suggested an association between emotions or attitudes and birth outcomes for some time now (Beck et al., 1980; Haines et al., 2012; Ryding et al., 1998).…”

Kadınların doğum inançları ve etkileyen faktörler

“…Kadınların doğum inançları ve etkileyen faktörleri incelediğimiz çalışmada kadınların "Doğum doğal bir olaydır" boyutu puan ortalamasının 4.21±0.69, "Doğum tıbbi bir olaydır" boyutu puan ortalamasının 3.54±0.64 olduğu ve kadınların doğuma yönelik doğal süreç inançlarının daha yüksek olduğu bulunmuştur (Tablo 2). Bu bulguya paralel olarak Preis ve arkadaşları tarafından ilk doğum deneyimi sonrası doğum inançlarının belirlemesi amacıyla yapılan çalışmada da kadınların doğal süreç inancı puan ortalamalarının, tıbbi süreç inancı puan ortalamasından daha yüksek olduğu bulunmuştur (Preis, Pardo, Peled & 61 Benyamini, 2018). Benzer sonuç temel doğum inançları ile gebeliğe bağlı kaygı arasındaki ilişkiyi belirlemek amacıyla yapılan çalışmada da bulunmuştur (Durgun Ozan & Alp Yilmaz, 2020).…”

When birth is not as expected: a systematic review of the impact of a mismatch between expectations and experiences

“…On the other hand, the holistic model of birth sees the mother and foetus as one, labour being a normal physiological process which generally does not require intervention and that happens at its own rate [ 30 ]. The development of these belief systems are likely to come from a range of sources, including previous birth experiences [ 31 ], and are often associated with the type of birth a woman may choose [ 32 , 33 ].…”