“I knew there has to be a better way”: Women’s pathways to freebirth in Poland

Baranowska, Barbara; Węgrzynowska, Maria; Tataj‐Puzyna, Urszula; Crowther, Susan

doi:10.1016/j.wombi.2021.07.008

Cited by 7 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 19 publications

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“…Most of the women in the included studies described their freebirth experience as “empowering” and “positive.” 10,14,33 They were in control, possessing the autonomy to move as they wished. Having faith in the birth process helped to calm any labor‐related anxieties 32 .…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Other motivators for freebirthing highlighted in the following themes may go some way to providing further explanations for this trend. 14,25 F I G U R E Employment and education were found to be associated with unassisted birth rates; those with lower educational attainment and who were un-or under-employed tended toward higher rates of unassisted birth. 17,18,20 This was observed mainly in LMICs, as studies on HICs had limited information about socio-demographic characteristics and the decision to freebirth.…”

Section: Differences Are Based On Geographical Locationsmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…[10][11][12][13] Health care systems in HICs are established, and hospital births are often publicly funded, resulting in higher rates of hospital births. 12,[14][15][16] Less than 1% of births in the United States and the United Kingdom were freebirths. 10,11 Freebirths were even rarer in Central Asia, constituting fewer than 0.5% of births.…”

Section: Differences Are Based On Geographical Locationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The most common factor driving women's decision to freebirth was past traumatic birth experiences with health care professionals present. 10,11,[13][14][15]18,21,24,25,[27][28][29][30] In Rigg and colleagues' study 30 on freebirthing women's experiences of mainstream maternity care in Australia, 83% found the care disrespectful, whereas 70% had a traumatic experience. Almost all included studies described experiences of women being disrespected by health care personnel during previous hospital births, during which they reported being insulted, ignored, and disregarded.…”

Section: Reasons For Choosing Freebirthmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, these plans were often disregarded by doctors and other health care professionals, who did little to accommodate their wishes. 14,25 At times, certain medical procedures were carried out without consent, 15 causing the women to feel as though their autonomy had been undermined and their human rights violated. 10,15,28,31 They reported "uncomfort" 14,25 and "traumatic" 11 birthing experiences that made them never want to go to a hospital or see a doctor or midwife again.…”

Section: Reasons For Choosing Freebirthmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Trends and motivations for freebirth: A scoping review

Shorey

Jarašiūnaitė‐Fedosejeva

Akik

et al. 2023

Birth

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Background Even when maternity care facilities are available, some women will choose to give birth unassisted by a professional (freebirth). This became more apparent during the pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19), as women were increasingly concerned they would contract the virus in health care facilities. Several studies have identified the factors that influence women to seek alternative places of birth to hospitals, but research focusing specifically on freebirth is limited. Methods Eight databases were searched from their respective inception dates to April 2022 for studies related to freebirth. Data from the studies were charted and a thematic analysis was subsequently conducted. Results Four themes were identified based on findings from the 25 included studies: (1) Geographical and socio‐demographic determinants influencing freebirth, (2) Reasons for choosing freebirth, (3) Factors hindering freebirth, and (4) Preparation for and varied experiences of freebirth. Discussion More women chose to give birth unassisted in low‐ and middle‐income countries (LMICs) compared with high‐income countries (HICs). Overall, motivation for freebirth included previous negative birth experiences with health care professionals, a desire to adhere to their birth‐related beliefs, and fear of contracting the COVID‐19 virus. Included studies reported that study participants were often met with negative responses when they revealed that they were planning to freebirth. Most women in the included studies had positive freebirth experiences. Future research should explore the different motivators of freebirth present in LMICs or HICs to help inform effective policies that may improve birth experiences while maintaining safety.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%