Expectations, Experiences, and Psychological Outcomes of Childbirth: A Prospective Study of 825 Women

Abstract

A prospective study of 825 women booked for delivery in six hospitals in southeastern England was conducted to determine their expectations of childbirth. Women completed three questionnaires, two before the birth and one six weeks after. Questions covered both objective and subjective aspects of birth, and gave particular attention to control, its importance and its relevance to psychological outcomes. Four different indices of psychological outcome were considered: fulfillment, satisfaction, emotional well-being, and the words that women used to describe their babies, which were shown to be related to different patterns of independent variables and of intrapartum events. Our results did not support popular stereotypes: high expectations were not found to be bad for women, although low expectations often were. Information and feeling in control were consistently associated with positive psychological outcomes.

‘Not enough people to look after you’: An exploration of women's experiences of childbirth in the Republic of Ireland

“…As with previous studies (Green 1990, Gibbons and Thomson 2001, Dahlen et al 2010, women within the FGIs said control was an important issue for them.…”

“…Unlike Green et al (1990) who found that having high expectations did not lead to feelings of failure, these women felt disappointed that their expectations had not been met, particularly in relation to interventions. A few women had negative childbirth experiences which affected them greatly, in common with many others across the world (Fenwick et al 2005, Olde et al 2006.…”

What is a good midwife? Insights from the literature

“…Methodologies were variously described as qualitative (n=4) (Berg et al, 1996;Brown et al, 2009;Dahlen et al, 2010;Walker et al, 1995), using a phenomenological (n=1) (Berg et al, 1996) or Grounded Theory approach (n=3) (Brown et al, 2009;Dahlen et al, 2010;Walker et al, 1995). Two authors utilised quantitative methods (Green et al, 1990;Tumblin & Simkin, 2001). …”

“…The literature review highlights that most women value making informed choices and feeling in control (Dahlen et al, 2010;Green et al, 1990;Tumblin & Simkin, 2001). …”

“…Green et al (1990) undertook a large-scale prospective questionnaire survey that included 825 women giving birth in six hospitals in England in 1987. The study was designed to assess the relationships between expectations, experiences and psychological outcomes of birth.…”