Modeling the Quality of Women's Birth Experience

Doering, Susan; Entwisle, Doris R.; Quinlan, Daniel J.

doi:10.2307/2136690

Cited by 41 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…There is global evidence in the literature that women’s satisfaction with experiences of childbirth is strongly correlated with a woman’s sense of control during labour [1,5,37,38] with this evidence confirmed through metasynthesis [39]. ‘Control’, however, is a complex construct [40] but it appears that the quality of the relationship between the woman and her care-giver and the woman’s involvement in decision making are pivotal [3,39].…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Participant experiences of mindfulness-based childbirth education: a qualitative study

Fisher

Hauck

Bayes

et al. 2012

BMC Pregnancy Childbirth

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BackgroundChildbirth is an important transitional life event, but one in which many women are dissatisfied stemming in part from a sense that labour is something that happens to them rather than with them. Promoting maternal satisfaction with childbirth means equipping women with communication and decision making skills that will enhance their ability to feel involved in their labour. Additionally, traditional antenatal education does not necessarily prepare expectant mothers and their birth support partner adequately for birth. Mindfulness-based interventions appear to hold promise in addressing these issues. Mindfulness-based Child Birth Education (MBCE) was a pilot intervention combining skills-based antenatal education and Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction. Participant experiences of MBCE, both of expectant mothers and their birth support partners are the focus of this article.MethodsA generic qualitative approach was utilised for this study. Pregnant women between 18 and 28 weeks gestation, over 18 years of age, nulliparous with singleton pregnancies and not taking medication for a diagnosed mental illness or taking illicit drugs were eligible to undertake the MBCE program which was run in a metropolitan city in Australia. Focus groups with 12 mothers and seven birth support partners were undertaken approximately four months after the completion of MBCE. Audio recordings of the groups were transcribed verbatim and analysed thematically using the method of constant comparison by all four authors independently and consensus on analysis and interpretation arrived at through team meetings.ResultsA sense of both ‘empowerment’ and ‘community’ were the essences of the experiences of MBCE both for mothers and their birth support partner and permeated the themes of ‘awakening my existing potential’ and ‘being in a community of like-minded parents’. Participants suggested that mindfulness techniques learned during MBCE facilitated their sense of control during birth, and the content and pedagogical approach of MBCE enabled them to be involved in decision making during the birth. The pedagogical approach also fostered a sense of community among participants which extended into the postnatal period.ConclusionsMBCE has the potential to empower women to become active participants in the birthing process, thus addressing common concerns regarding lack of control and satisfaction with labour and facilitate peer support into the postnatal period. Further education of health professionals may be needed to ensure that they respond positively to those women and birth support partners who remain active in decision making during birth.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Participant experiences of mindfulness-based childbirth education: a qualitative study

Fisher

Hauck

Bayes

et al. 2012

BMC Pregnancy Childbirth

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“…However, pain may not play a major role in satisfaction except when expectations are unmet [16,18]. Moreover, participation in decision-making and caregiver support (see below) may be more important determinants of satisfaction than pain relief [2,73,74]. A systematic review of pain and women's satisfaction with the childbirth experience has been performed by Hodnett [16].…”

Section: Medical Complicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The assessment of satisfaction with care in the perinatal period

Britton

2012

Journal of Psychosomatic Obstetrics & Gynecology

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Patient satisfaction is frequently used to evaluate the quality of medical care and to guide the development of health care services. Improved satisfaction is a goal recommended by the Institute of Medicine and the government of the United Kingdom for health care reform. During the perinatal period, dynamic changes in physical and psychological state impose unique challenges in the assessment of satisfaction. This article reviews the measurement of satisfaction with care, together with factors that may influence satisfaction and its measurement during the perinatal period. Recommendations are also provided for further research and development of satisfaction instruments and potential interventions to improve satisfaction with perinatal care.

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“…Despite their differences, childbearing women, healthcare providers, and commentators on birth in many high-income Western countries have identified control as an important issue during childbirth. From the Labor Agentry Scale to measure women's expectations and experiences of personal control during childbirth (Hodnett & Simmons-Tropea, 1987) to recent surveys of childbearing women (Declercq, Sakala, Corry, Applebaum, & Risher, 2002, 2006), the literature is replete with evidence that perceived control (or lack thereof) is of significance to childbearing women (Ayers & Pickering, 2005; DiMatteo, Kahn & Berry, 1993; Gibbins & Thomsen, 2001; Green, Coupland, & Kitzinger, 1990; Hall & Holloway, 1998; Larkin, Begley, & Declan, 2009; Melender, 2006) and relates to birth satisfaction (Christiaens & Bracke, 2007; Doering, Entwisle, & Quinlan, 1980; Goodman, Mackey, & Tavakoli, 2004; Green & Baston, 2003; Knapp, 1996; Lavender, Walkinshaw, & Walton, 1999; Mackey, 1995, 1998; Simkin, 1991). More broadly, control has been proposed as a central theme across the social sciences (Gibbs, 1990), with various disciplines characterizing and applying the term differently to address particular concepts (Diamond, 1990).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The meaning of “control” for childbearing women in the US

Namey

Lyerly

2010

Social Science & Medicine

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Childbearing women, healthcare providers, and commentators on birth broadly identify control as an important issue during childbirth; however, control is rarely defined in literature on the topic. Here we seek to deconstruct the term control as used by childbearing women to better understand the issues and concepts underpinning it. Based on qualitative interviews with 101 parous women in the United States, we analyze meanings of control within the context of birth narratives. We find these meanings correspond to five distinct domains: self-determination, respect, personal security, attachment, and knowledge. We also find ambivalence about this term and concept, in that half our sample recognizes "you cannot control birth". Together, these findings call into question the usefulness of the term for measuring quality or improving maternity care and highlight other concepts which may be more fruitfully explored.

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Modeling the Quality of Women's Birth Experience

Cited by 41 publications

References 20 publications

Participant experiences of mindfulness-based childbirth education: a qualitative study

Participant experiences of mindfulness-based childbirth education: a qualitative study

The assessment of satisfaction with care in the perinatal period

The meaning of “control” for childbearing women in the US

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