Women's reasons and motivations around planning a home birth with a qualified midwife in Spain

Abstract

Aims The aim of this study was to describe and understand the reasons and motivations that lead a woman to choose home birth in Spain. Design A qualitative study based on Gadamer's hermeneutic phenomenology was carried out. Methods In‐depth interviews were conducted with 24 women who had planned a home birth in the last year. The recruitment phase was carried out over a 3‐week period during the month of March 2021. Inductive analysis was used to find themes based on the data obtained. Results Four main themes emerged from the data analysis: (1) Women's home birth decision making, (2) Partner as the main support, (3) Need to prepare for childbirth and (4) Reasons for choosing home birth. Conclusion The women in this study spent a lot of time and dedication to choose the place where they would give birth. According to this research, decision making is influenced by multiple factors, both positive and negative, such as women's individual beliefs and values. The main reasons why women chose a home birth were the intimacy and security of the home, the accompaniment and the desire for a natural and free birth. Impact This study adds knowledge about the factors that influence the decision of women who choose home birth in Spain and the reasons and motivations that lead them to do so. In addition, it raises new questions about the satisfaction of women giving birth in the hospital as well as outside the hospital, and the quality of service provided by health professionals in the current Spanish public maternity system.

Trends and motivations for freebirth: A scoping review

“…However, online information is often biased, especially in communities supporting a specific type of birth. 30,44 Women who join freebirth communities may be misled into thinking that freebirth is safer than it actually is. 30 Therefore, it is helpful to provide education to help inform families of the risks involved in different types of deliveries to facilitate informed decision-making.…”

“…They diligently readied themselves for the independent birthing process by researching freebirth through the Internet or consulting experienced family and friends. However, online information is often biased, especially in communities supporting a specific type of birth 30,44 . Women who join freebirth communities may be misled into thinking that freebirth is safer than it actually is 30 .…”

Cultural Adaptation, Validation and Evaluation of the Psychometric Properties of an Obstetric Violence Scale in the Spanish Context

“…This aspect should be taken into account and policies should be applied to warrant women’s privacy during childbirth, especially in centers with educational activities and high turnover of trainees. In the context of OV, intimacy has not been given proper attention as compared to other practices [ 68 , 69 ]; however, it is one of the reasons why many women seek certain settings to give birth in, e.g., their homes [ 70 ].…”

The Experience of Pregnancy and Childbirth Overshadowed by Obstetric Violence and Structural Barriers of the Israeli Health System from the Perspective of Arab and Jewish Women

“…The issue of women’s awareness of their bodies was mentioned in studies which focused on women’s control of the delivery process: particularly studies that examined the choice to give birth in their natural surroundings, away from conventional medical frameworks. Choosing home birth has a number of reasons: to avoid unnecessary medical treatments common in hospitals; a negative previous childbirth experience in a hospital; a desire for more control of the process; and being in a comfortable, familiar home environment that provides intimacy and security ( Boucher et al, 2009 ; Galera-Barbero & Aguilera-Manrique, 2022 ).…”