Il parto extra-ospedaliero: un’indagine quanti-qualitativa presso una casa maternità di Roma

Abstract

A quantitative-qualitative study was performed to describe outcomes and experiences of women who gave birth in an out-of-hospital setting in Rome, Italy, between 2016 and 2018. A retrospective observational study was carried out through the collection of clinical and healthcare data of 96 women assisted in these 3 years. Among them 9 were transferred to hospital during labour. The main outcomes of the out-of-hospital deliveries (n = 87) were: intact perineum and no third- or fourth-degree perineal tear in 44,8% of cases, delayed cord clamping in 100% of cases (of which 26.4% were lotus birth) and exclusive breastfeeding in 94.3% of cases at 7 days after delivery and 93.3% at 3 and 6 months. The qualitative phase was conducted on 15 women and involved focus groups and in-depth interviews. It emerged that the choice to give birth in an out-of-hospital setting was mainly due to either the couple’s respect for birth physiology and intimacy or a previous negative experience of hospital birth.