A midwifery model of woman-centred childbirth care – In Swedish and Icelandic settings

The kaleidoscopic midwife: A conceptual metaphor illustrating first-time mothers' perspectives of a good midwife during childbirth. A grounded theory study

“…As the process of approaching the forthcoming birth experience is inevitably accompanied by personal and subjective expectations and beliefs, the midwife is called to promote individuality by acknowledging the uniqueness of each woman's needs, beliefs, expectations and events occurring during labour (Berg et al, 2012;Fraser, 1999;Halldorsdottir and Karlsdottir, 1996a;Larkin et al, 2009):…”

Midwives' experiences of labour care in midwifery units. A qualitative interview study in a Norwegian setting

“…In the current study, beginning practice in the new work setting was also associated with confronting beliefs about the birthing process itself. Supporting normality has been described as a core element of midwifery philosophy (28,29). In the present study, the coherence between a philosophy supporting normality and the birth care given was an issue for some of the participants, but this issue was discussed in different ways.…”

“…The midwives revealed different strategies that are in line with the notion that it is important to be in the birthing suite with the woman and either sit there talking/being quiet or assisting the woman more actively with her needs regarding position change, food, and beverages. To be present with the woman has been emphasised as a core value in midwifery in other studies (28,33) and is referred to as an aspect of "what midwifery is all about" and "the art of midwifery"; it can be interpreted in line with the notion of "real midwifery", which is considerably valued by midwives (10,34). However, it is also worth noting that this type of work, despite being understood as "real midwifery", was also felt to be demanding.…”

Insider Action research as an approach and a method – Exploring institutional encounters from within a birthing context

“…Before the AR study commenced, the IARr (VN) and the external research group (MB, SD and TB) believed that establishment of a caring relationship was fundamental for developing optimal care in childbirth (Berg, Ó lafsdo´ttir, & Lundgren, 2012;Hunter, Berg, Lundgren, Ó lafsdo´ttir, & Kirkham, 2008;Kirkham, 2010). A caring relationship is grounded in the philosophical objective of the human having a responsibility for the other, or in the words of Levinas ''not letting the other alone'' (Lavoie, De Koninck, & Blondeau, 2006).…”