Swedish Women's Interest in Home Birth and In‐Hospital Birth Center Care

Abstract

If Swedish women were offered free choice of place of birth, the home birth rate would be 10 times higher, and the 20 largest hospitals would need to have a birth center. Women interested in alternative models of care view childbirth as a social and natural event, and their needs should be considered.

Who decides the position for birth? A follow-up study of a randomised controlled trial

“…Questions regarding pain intensity, pain experience and experience of labour duration have been used earlier in a Swedish national survey relating to women's experiences of childbirth. 18 Questions about expectations of birth position, the midwife's encouragement to take a certain position, the mother's opportunity to take her own preferred position, experiences of safety and trust in the midwife, and the occurrence of birth complications could be answered "yes", "no" or " …”

U.S. Nulliparas’ Reasons for Expected Provider Type and Childbirth Setting

“…For instance, "women who want to be involved in decision making may be more likely to choose midwives, who in turn are more likely to offer involvement in decision making" (Bylund, 2005, p. 36). Although the results of the relevant retrospective studies (i.e., Hildingsson et al, 2003;Howell-White, 1997;van Haaren-ten et al, 2012) have been largely congruent with those of the few prospective studies, there still has been a need for a prospective study in a U.S. context in which reasons for normative and nonnormative choices are compared directly. This study fills that gap in the literature.…”

“…Maternal desire for active involvement and control was a reason cited in multiple studies (Boucher, Bennett, McFarlin, & Freeze, 2009;Janssen, Henderson, & Vedam, 2009;Murray-Davis et al, 2012;Ng & Sinclair, 2002;van Haaren-ten et al, 2012;Viisainen, 2001), as was the belief that birth is a natural process and not an illness (Boucher et al, 2009;Jimenez et al, 2010;Neuhaus, Piroth, Kiencke, Göhring, & Mallman, 2002;Ng & Sinclair, 2002;Viisainen, 2001). Another commonly cited reason is that one's home is a familiar and familial environment that allows for comfort, intimacy, and privacy (Bashour & Abdulsalam, 2005;Boucher et al, 2009;Hildingsson, Waldenström, & Rådestad, 2003;Janssen et al, 2009;Murray-Davis et al, 2012;Ng & Sinclair, 2002; were asked to identify their expected childbirth setting (hospital, birth center inside a hospital, freestanding birth center, home, or unsure/don't know) followed by the free-response item "Why have you chosen the location you just indicated?" Items relating to demographics also were collected.…”

“…Some women elected home birth as a way of avoiding pain medication and other medical interventions (Boucher et al, 2009;Hildingsson et al, 2003;Janssen et al, 2009;Murray-Davis et al, 2012;Neuhaus et al, 2002) and/or in response to a previous negative hospital experience (Boucher et al, 2009;Viisainen, 2001). In the few studies in which women reported reasons for selecting the hospital setting, safety was a prime motivator, especially in the event of complications (Hildingsson et al, 2003;Miller & Shriver, 2012;van Haaren-ten et al, 2012). Interestingly, safety also was cited by some of the women who chose planned home birth, suggesting that they conceptualized risk and safety differently than did the women who believed hospitals to be safest (Boucher et al, 2009;Ng & Sinclair, 2002;van Haaren-ten et al, 2012).…”

Assistência ao parto em um centro de parto normal: narrativas das puérperas

“…Na estrutura de cuidado, o enfoque centrado na mulher e o desenvolvimento dos cuidados por uma mesma profissional nas diferentes fases do parto foram os principais aspectos apreciados (Coyle et.al., 2001b Outro estudo desenvolvido na Suécia demonstrou um interesse maior das mulheres em relação ao cuidado realizado no Centro de Parto. Observou-se que isto estava associado à experiência de ter controle sobre a situação durante o parto e nascimento, não desejar recursos farmacológicos para alívio da dor e a preferência por uma parteira já conhecida no momento do parto (Hildingsson, 2003 (Esposito, 1999).…”