Women’s Perceptions Using the CenteringPregnancy Model of Group Prenatal Care

Abstract

A qualitative nonexperimental thematic analysis was conducted at a hospital-based midwifery practice to explore the views of participants in group prenatal care and its impact on pregnancy, birth, and postnatal care. Ten women and three support people, recruited through purposive sampling, shared their feedback on the program. The findings conveyed three broad themes: program experience, midwife relationship, and support. Women enjoyed the opportunity for in-depth learning, and peer-group support led to normalizing of pregnancy concerns. Having support people as participants also helped during pregnancy, birth, and child care. The findings showed the enhanced opportunity for education, learning, and interpersonal support provided by CenteringPregnancy to expectant mothers had a positive impact on their pregnancy experiences.

Cultural safety and belonging for refugee background women attending group pregnancy care: An Australian qualitative study

“…Other studies have also identified positive outcomes and reduced costs of health care provision . Nonrandomized studies have demonstrated reductions in social isolation and improvements in women's social and emotional well‐being . Studies have demonstrated both financial sustainability and cost effectiveness of group pregnancy care, however, they have not included women of refugee background.…”

Does CenteringPregnancy Group Prenatal Care Affect the Birth Experience of Underserved Women? A Mixed Methods Analysis

“…This is consistent with prior research that Centering can increase women’s feelings of control and empowerment during labor and birth. 33 Taken together, this data suggest that participation in Centering may increase women’s self-efficacy surrounding birth, which may in turn predict increased birth satisfaction. 32 This could be an especially significant benefit of Centering participation for marginalized women.…”

`It makes sense and it works': Maternity care providers' perspectives on the feasibility of a group antenatal care model (Pregnancy Circles)

“…Evaluations of gANC in other settings have found that self-checking is enthusiastically welcomed by women and acts as an instrument of empowerment (Risisky et al, 2013) and this was also evidenced in the Circles. Furthermore, blood pressure self-monitoring has been found to be as effective as professional monitoring (Fletcher et al, 2016).…”

“…Others, however, expressed concerns about including partners in groups with teenagers and '[ethnic] minority clients' (Manager 1, pre-implementation), again grounding their worries in the particular demographics of the local area: Although the literature highlights some advantages of partners and birth supporters attending gANC, including increased advocacy for women when they are in labour (McNeil et al, 2012;Risisky et al, 2013), evidence also suggests that women feel less able to discuss issues openly when men are present (Andersson et al 2012, McNeil et al 2012. These findings, and the views expressed here, suggested to us that decisions about partner involvement in the Circles should be made by the women attending each group, and that the impact of partner presence or absence should be a focus of the evaluation of the wider intervention implementation.…”

“…Evaluations of gANC indicate that women attend for appointments more regularly and report higher levels of satisfaction compared to conventional care (Craswell et al, 2016;Risisky et al, 2013;Teate et al, 2011;Trudnak et al, 2013;Wedin et al, 2010). Women appreciate the companionship and peer discussion, which normalises their pregnancy symptoms and experiences (Andersson et al 2013, Kennedy et al 2009, McNeil et al 2012, Teate et al 2011.…”