Giving birth: the voices of Orthodox Jewish women living in Canada

OBJECTIVE: To describe the meaning of the childbirth experience to Orthodox Jewish women living in Canada. DESIGN: In this phenomenologic study, audiotaped interviews were conducted. Tapes were transcribed verbatim and analyzed for emergent themes. Demographic data also were collected. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: Thirty Orthodox Jewish women who had given birth to healthy full-term newborns at a university-affiliated Jewish hospital in Montreal, Canada, participated in the study. Data were collected within 2 weeks after childbirth, either in the mother's postpartum hospital room or in her home. RESULTS: The following themes reflecting spiritual/cultural dimensions of the childbirth experience were identified: (a) birth as a significant life event, (b) birth as a bittersweet paradox, (c) the spiritual dimensions of giving birth, (d) the importance of obedience to rabbinical law, and (e) a sense of support and affirmation. CONCLUSION: This study documents cultural, religious, and spiritual dimensions of the childbirth experience of Orthodox Jewish women living in Canada. Knowledge and appreciation of the multiple dimensions of childbirth reflected by this study's findings can contribute to holistic and culturally competent nursing care of women and newborns.     

Releasing and relieving encounters: experiences of pregnancy and childbirth

The experience of childbirth is an important life event for women, memories of which may follow them throughout life. The aim of the study reported here was to synthesize the results from four selected studies describing these experiences by focusing on women's and midwives' experiences of the encounter during childbirth, as well as experiences of pregnancy from the women's perspective. The setting was the Alternative Birth Care Centre (Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Goteborg) and Karolinska Hospital (Stockholm, Sweden). A qualitative method grounded in phenomenology and hermeneutics was used as a basis for the studies and synthesis. The essential structure may be conceptualized under the heading 'releasing and relieving encounters', which, for the woman, constitutes an encounter with herself as well as with the midwife, and includes stillness as well as change. Stillness is expressed as presence and being one's body. Change is expressed as transition to the unknown and to motherhood. In the releasing and relieving encounter, for the midwife stillness and change equals being both anchored and a companion. To be a companion is to be an available person who listens to and follows the woman through the process of childbirth. To be anchored is to be the person who respects the limits of the woman's ability as well as her own professional limits in the transition process. A releasing and relieving encounter implies a sharing of responsibility and participation for women. This may be understood as a unique feature, which differs from other caring encounters and should be further studied.     

Chinese maternal health in adjustment: claim for life

Health sector reforms in China, instituted starting in 1985, have centred on cost recovery, with fee-for-service revenue replacing public budget funding. The share of public funding for maternal health services was reduced greatly, forcing an increasing proportion of pregnant women to pay for deliveries and treatment of pregnancy-related complications out of pocket, as most had no health insurance to cover these costs. This study aimed to identify socio-economic variables associated with utilisation of essential maternal health services and linked to health sector reforms in China, with a focus on cost recovery. A retrospective household survey (n=5756) was carried out in six counties in three provinces of Central China in 1995. Antenatal service utilisation continued to improve in 1990–95, but only in relation to the number of visits, which were pre-paid if the woman was participating in a maternal pre-payment scheme or covered by another health insurance scheme. Significant decreases were found in the utilisation of skilled attendance at delivery and hospital delivery, as well as differences in adverse pregnancy outcomes (miscarriages and stillbirths) between women paying out of pocket and those covered by insurance. This study confirms a strong association between utilisation of delivery services and financing variables of amount of savings in the bank, maternal pre-payment schemes and health insurance. It also shows the critical importance of out of pocket, fee-for-service payments for maternity care as a barrier to the utilisation of these services.     

Inequalities in health care provision: the relationship between contemporary policy and contemporary practice in maternity services in England

AIM: The project Addressing Inequalities in Health: new directions in midwifery education and practice (Hart et al. 2001) was commissioned by the English National Board for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting (ENB). Here, we draw on those research findings to consider current midwifery policy and practice in England. BACKGROUND: Little guidance on providing equality of care exists for midwives. The Code of Conduct [United Kingdom Central Council for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting (UKCC) 1992] makes no specific requirement for midwives to address issues of inequalities of health in their practice. Recent policy documents emphasize the need to work towards reducing inequalities and to target practice to 'disadvantaged clients' without giving guidelines on how to identify and care for target groups. METHODS: In-depth studies of midwifery education and service provision were conducted in three very different parts of England. Three months of fieldwork were undertaken at each site, comprising a series of interviews with midwifery educators, managers, students, midwives and service users. Focus groups were also held and observation of classroom sessions and midwifery practice undertaken. Findings. A lack of clear and specific strategies concerning inequalities in health was evident at managerial level. Patchy knowledge of current policy was also evident amongst practising midwives. Specific projects with disadvantaged clients usually resulted from a particular midwife's personal interest or evident local need. All midwives emphasized the importance of 'equality of care'. How this was operationalized varied, and 'individualized' or 'woman-centred' care was assumed to encompass the concept. In the few examples where care was systematically targeted in accordance with policy directives, the midwife's public health role was increased. CONCLUSION: In the absence of a co-ordinated strategic vision driven by managers, practitioners find difficulty in prioritizing care and targeting resources to disadvantaged clients in line with policy directives. Tensions between policy and practice in the care of 'disadvantaged' women clearly exist. Successful implementation of policy at practice level needs: commitment from managers; clarity of purpose in documentation; and provision of specific targets for practitioners. However, the latter should remain flexible enough for the delivery of care to be appropriate and sensitive to individual needs.     

Experiences of security associated with pregnancy and childbirth: a study of pregnant women

The aim of this study was to describe the sense of security associated with pregnancy and childbirth and to identify factors associated with it. Security was conceptualized in accordance with Kaufmann as a human need and as a human value. The instrument used was a questionnaire with a 4-point scale. The sample consisted of 481 pregnant Finnish women. The response rate was 69%. Rotated factor analysis was carried out and sum variables were produced. The effects of various background variables were calculated using the Kruskal-Wallis test and the Mann-Whitney U-test. The elements creating security were social support, knowledge, prenatal health-care experiences, support from the partner, livelihood, positive stories and, in multiparae, positive previous childbearing experiences. The most salient finding concerning factors related to security was that women who had no pregnancy-related problems in the current pregnancy reported social support, prenatal health-care experiences and support from the partner as security-creating elements more often than women with such problems. This was the only factor related to manifestation of security. The findings suggest that all pregnant women should be assisted by professionals to find security-creating elements in their particular situation to promote and strengthen the sense of security, paying special attention to women with pregnancy-related problems.     

Medicalization and obstetric care: An analysis of developments in Dutch midwifery

The Dutch system of obstetric care is often recommended for midwife-attended births, the high number of home deliveries, and the low rate of intervention during pregnancy and labour. In this contribution, the question is addressed whether processes of medicalization can be demonstrated in the Dutch midwife practice. Medicalization of pregnancy and childbirth is often criticized because it creates dependency on the medical system and infringement of the autonomy of pregnant women. It is concluded that medicalization is present in the practice of Dutch independent midwives, however it is less clear and outspoken than in hospital policies. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Introducing Birth Plans in Mexico: An Exploratory Study in a Hospital Serving Low‐Income Mexicans

ABSTRACT: Background: Increased medicalization of childbirth in Mexico has not always translated into more satisfactory childbirth experiences for women. In developed countries, pregnant women often prepare written birth plans, outlining how they would like their childbirth experiences to proceed. The notion of expressing childbirth desires with a birth plan is novel in the developing world. We conducted an exploratory study to assess the feasibility and acceptability of introducing birth plans in a hospital serving low–socioeconomic status Mexicans and to document women’s and health practitioners’ perspectives on the advantages and barriers in implementing a birth plan program. Methods: We invited 9 pregnant women to prepare birth plans during their antenatal care visits. The women also participated in interviews before and after childbirth. We also conducted in‐depth interviews with 4 women who had given birth in the past year, and with 2 nurses, 2 social workers, and 1 physician to learn about their perspectives on the benefits and challenges of implementing a birth plan program. Results: All 9 women who completed a birth plan found the experience highly satisfying, despite the fact that in some cases, their childbirths did not proceed as they had specified in their plans. Interviewed practitioners believed that birth plans could improve the childbirth experience for women and health care practitioners, but facilities often lacked space and financial incentives for birth plan programs. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that birth plans are acceptable and feasible in this study population. Facility administrators would need to commit to provide the physical space and financial incentives necessary to ensure successful implementation. (BIRTH 34:1 March 2007)