Being a homebirth midwife in the Nordic countries – a phenomenological study

Sjöblom, Ingela; Lundgren, Ingela; Idvall, Ewa; Lindgren, Helena

doi:10.1016/j.srhc.2015.02.004

Cited by 11 publications

(27 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…Good theoretical and practical knowledge and sufficient clinical experience in physiologic birth were essential for developing intuition and confidence among midwives 30,32,35,37,38 . “Intuition” and “instinct” were often mentioned as part of what guides midwives during the labor process, as they did not see themeselves as relying heavily or solely on technology or any machinery 14,25,39,40 . Being confident in oneself and the physiologic processes of birth itself often affected the type of birth positions midwives used, 23 helped them to prevent unnecessary interventions, and increased their ability to facilitate physiologic births 29,30 .…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Establishing a good relationship was key in empowering women; it helped midwives to focus on the woman's needs, build trust, and promote self‐reliance during labor. Many midwives trusted that the woman was in control and knew best what was going on within her own body; hence, they were often guided by cues from the woman 30,32,35,41 and believed that the woman should have all the time she needed to work through the processes of labor and birth so long as mother and baby were doing well 34,39 . Constant encouragement, reassurance, and positive affirmation were also necessary for allaying women's childbirth fears and helping them gain confidence in their ability to give birth 14,23,26,29,42 .…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Midwives' perceptions of and experiences with normal physiologic birth: A qualitative systematic review

Shorey,

2023

Birth

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BackgroundNormal physiologic birth has been shown to result in optimal maternal–infant outcomes, but the concept of physiologic birth is continually evolving. Midwives play an important role in advocating for normal physiologic birth; however, their perceptions of what this approach entails have not been systematically appraised.ObjectiveIn this qualitative review, we aimed to examine midwives' perceived meanings of “normal physiologic birth” and to describe their experiences facilitating such births.MethodsFive electronic databases were searched, and 26 qualitative papers were included, representing a total of 433 midwives from different backgrounds (i.e., independent, home‐based, community‐based, and hospital‐based). Eligible papers were assessed for quality, and then data were coded and synthesized thematically.ResultsFour highly connected themes were generated: (1) the midwife: fundamental beliefs; (2) the woman: empowerment and advocacy; (3) the environment: ambience and culture; and (4) the team: need for institutional support and recognition. The fundamental beliefs of midwives, such as their perceived role and definition of normal physiologic birth and their self‐confidence, influence practice styles and contribute to personal and professional development. Midwives often advocate for a person‐centered approach that encouraged women's and other birthing person's autonomy and involvement in shared decision‐making. The midwife–client relationship is also central. Most importantly, a conducive birthing environment and an inclusive workplace culture that encourages interprofessional support, collaboration, and recognizes midwifery practices were identified as crucial in providing optimal conditions for the facilitation of physiologic birth.ConclusionsThis review provides healthcare policymakers and institutions fresh impetus to evaluate and revise as needed current workplace policies to be more inclusive and supportive of midwifery practices and physiologic birth.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Midwives' perceptions of and experiences with normal physiologic birth: A qualitative systematic review

Shorey,

2023

Birth

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“…Midwives in the 11 jurisdictions are regulated, primary care practitioners of maternity care, with some exceptions and variations. In Japan, midwives have the legal right to practice autonomously, but in practice, it can be limited; decisions about client eligibility for midwifery care are made in collaboration with an obstetrician and clients have several examinations by an obstetrician throughout normal care .…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In England, all home birth costs are publicly funded when clients choose National Health Service (NHS) community or hospital midwives; however, clients may pay for the services of independent midwives . In Norway, the Labor and Welfare Administration pay for midwifery attendance at home births, but do not fund on‐call time or travel to clients’ homes . In most of Sweden, there is no public funding for home birth; however, in the county of Stockholm, the council provides financial support to midwives who attend home births with suitable candidates as defined by the county .…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Home birth integration into the health care systems of eleven international jurisdictions

Comeau

Hutton

Simioni

et al. 2018

Birth

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This paper is the first to propose criteria for the evaluation of home birth integration within larger maternity care systems. Application of these criteria across 11 international jurisdictions indicates differences in the recognition and training of home birth practitioners, in access to hospital facilities, and in the supplies and equipment available at home births, which give rise to variation in the level of integration across different settings. Standardized criteria for the evaluation of systems integration are essential for interpreting planned home birth outcomes that emerge from contextual differences.

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“…Nordic countries which are relatively homogeneous in cultural and social terms (1)(2)(3) have from a global level the lowest infant mortality, 5/1000 live births (1,2,(4)(5)(6)(7). This level is among others, achieved through long-term investments in high-quality maternity care through the high quality of midwifery education (8,9).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Women's education and profession midwifery in Nordic countries

Pajalić

Saplacan

2019

JHSCI

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Introduction: Help at birth is one of the historically oldest volunteers supports that a woman has offered to another woman. One of the reasons for high maternal and infant mortality was identified as a lack of basic medical knowledge among the woman who helped during birth and this required immediate action to secure the survival of nations. When the Church and government made demands for education and professional license, the voluntary help at birth transformed into an educated and paid profession for women. The study aimed to describe the evolution of women’s education and the midwifery profession in Nordic countries from the 1600s until today. Methods: Historical and contemporary documents, research and grey literature, are drawn together to provide a historical description of the midwifery professional development and education in Nordic countries. Results: In the Nordic countries, governments from the 1600s had significant problems with high maternal and infant mortality. Most vulnerable were unmarried women and their children. To change the trend, northern countries had been inspired by France, Holland, England, and Germany, which had introduced education and a professional license for midwives. The targeted and systematic investment in midwifery education, followed by industrialization and welfare development in Nordic countries, has resulted in one of the highest survival rates for mothers and infants in the world today. In parallel with this, it has created the first female paid profession in history. Today, midwifery education is at the university level in all Nordic countries, and the certified midwife is responsible for pre- and post-natal care and normal birth. In Sweden, Norway, and Iceland, the midwife’s responsibility also includes contraception counseling and prescription of drugs for birth control purposes. Conclusions: The education and professional licenses have contributed to a progressively improved care of birth women and infants. The professional and licensed midwife is positioned in society as an essential player in the current development of pre- and post-natal care. Furthermore, the graduated and licensed midwife positioned herself as the first paid professional female profession in modern history.

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Being a homebirth midwife in the Nordic countries – a phenomenological study

Cited by 11 publications

References 18 publications

Midwives' perceptions of and experiences with normal physiologic birth: A qualitative systematic review

Midwives' perceptions of and experiences with normal physiologic birth: A qualitative systematic review

Home birth integration into the health care systems of eleven international jurisdictions

Women's education and profession midwifery in Nordic countries

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