Giving Birth to Another Child: Women’s Perceptions of Their Childbirth Experiences in Quebec

Abstract

Medical interventions during childbirth are on the rise and many women in Quebec emerge from a first childbirth with the desire to live a different, less medicalized subsequent experience. To address how multiparity can affect the ways of giving birth, we conducted 20 in-depth qualitative interviews with multiparas who gave birth to their last child in various birthing environments in the 6 months prior to this study. Using tri-level coding, we inductively analyzed the transcripts, which showed an evolution in the participants’ perspectives. A spiral effect seems to be in place: The more women feel at ease with childbirth, the more they seek to establish a context in which they feel even more at ease. However, some women had to go through multiple birth experiences before being able to assert themselves and consider their perspectives regarding their own experiences as legitimate.

Immigrant women’s experience of labor and birth

“…Poor, inhumane obstetric care has a persistent impact on women’s lives, causing many to relive and recount their previous childbirth experience in the present, reinforcing the idea that the childbirth experience is not static, but something organic, active and transformative; its meaning has the capacity to echo down to future generations ( 20 ) . The memories presented by the collaborators in this study describe a scenario of obstetric violence, with disrespect and indifference prevailing.…”

Experiência de mulheres imigrantes no processo de parto e nascimento

“…Uma assistência obstétrica ruim, desumana, tem um impacto persistente na vida das mulheres, o que faz com que muitas revivam e relatem a experiência do parto anterior no presente, reforçando a ideia de que a experiência de parto não é estática, mas algo orgânico, ativo e transformador; seu significado tem capacidade de ecoar até as gerações futuras (20) . As memórias apresentadas pelas colaboradoras deste estudo descrevem um cenário de violência obstétrica, prevalecendo o desrespeito e indiferença.…”