Hospital Childbirth: Perspectives of Women and Professionals for a Positive Experience—A Qualitative Study

Abstract

The perception and interpretation of childbirth are changing as values change. This requires women and professionals to adapt to new circumstances. The objective of this study was to analyze the perspectives of women and professionals on hospital birth and to identify improvement areas in order to achieve a positive perinatal experience. A qualitative prospective study with a phenomenological approach was conducted using semi-structured interviews with women, two and eight months after childbirth, participant observation, and professional focus groups. The analysis of the transcribed texts involved a thematic inductive approach. Four improvement areas emerged from the analysis: (a) strengthening communication and the therapeutic relationship; (b) unifying criteria between hospitals and primary care centers to provide coordinated and coherent information; (c) involvement of the partner in the whole process of pregnancy-childbirth-puerperium; (d) improvement of the spaces used in prenatal care and births. The need for a continuity of care from the beginning of pregnancy to the postpartum period is emphasized, which requires an improvement in information, participation, and the promotion of shared decision-making. To this end, coordinated interdisciplinary work, involvement of the partner and the improvement of the spaces used in prenatal care and births are essential.

Women's autonomy for managing labour pain in a relational context: An interpretive description study

“…Interpersonal relationships based on the mobilisation of trust, respect and clear communication were the key elements in the decision‐making process. This finding concurs with studies that identified therapeutic relationships during childbirth as a crucial component of the practice of care built on trust, respectful attitudes and strong communication (Jolly et al, 2019; Megregian & Nieuwenhuijze, 2018;O'Brien et al, 2021; Pereda‐Goikoetxea et al, 2021). In addition, those authors indicated that the quality of the relationships between women and care providers during decision‐making processes was linked to women's positive experiences (O'Brien et al, 2021; Pereda‐Goikoetxea et al, 2021).…”

“…This finding concurs with studies that identified therapeutic relationships during childbirth as a crucial component of the practice of care built on trust, respectful attitudes and strong communication (Jolly et al, 2019; Megregian & Nieuwenhuijze, 2018;O'Brien et al, 2021; Pereda‐Goikoetxea et al, 2021). In addition, those authors indicated that the quality of the relationships between women and care providers during decision‐making processes was linked to women's positive experiences (O'Brien et al, 2021; Pereda‐Goikoetxea et al, 2021). Although some women may want to make decisions about pain management, others prefer to delegate the decision‐making to care providers when treatments or interventions are needed because they trust care providers to make informed decisions about their health and their babies' well‐being.…”