Why do women choose home births.

In recent years, the US has seen a significant rise in the rate of planned home births, with a 60 % increase from 2016 to 2023, reaching a total of 46,918. This trend positions the US as the leading developed country in terms of home birth prevalence. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) suggests stringent criteria for selecting candidates for home births, but these guidelines have not been adopted by home birth midwives leading to poor outcomes including increased rates of neonatal morbidity and mortality. This paper explores the motivations behind choosing home births in the US despite the known risks. Studies highlight factors such as the desire for a more natural birth experience, previous negative hospital experiences, and the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on perceptions of hospital safety. We provide new insights into why women choose home births by incorporating insights from Nobel laureate Daniel Kahneman's theories on decision-making, suggesting that cognitive biases may significantly influence these decisions. Kahneman's work provides a framework for understanding how biases and heuristics can lead to the underestimation of risks and overemphasis on personal birth experiences. We also provide recommendations ("nudges according to Richard Thaler") to help ensure women have access to clear, balanced information about home births. The development of this publication was assisted by OpenAI's ChatGPT-4, which facilitated the synthesis of literature, interpretation of data, and manuscript drafting. This collaboration underscores the potential of integrating advanced computational tools in academic research, enhancing the efficiency and depth of our analyses.

Perceptions and Attitudes Toward Genetic Counselors and Genetic Testing Among Certified Professional Midwives in Vermont: A Modified Grounded Theory Study.

Increasingly, pregnant people in the United States are choosing to give at birth at home, and certified professional midwives (CPMs) often attend these births. Care by midwives, including home birth midwives, has the potential to decrease unnecessary medical interventions and their associated health care costs, as well as to improve maternal satisfaction with care. However, lack of integration into the health care system affects the ability of CPMs to access standard medications and testing for their clients, including prenatal screening. Genetics and genomics are now a routine part of prenatal screening, and genetic testing can contribute to identifying candidates for planned home birth. However, research on genetics and midwifery care has not, to date, included the subset of midwives who attend the majority of planned home births, CPMs. The purpose of this study was to examine CPMs' access to, and perspectives on, one aspect of prenatal care, genetic counselors and genetic counseling services. Using semi-structured interviews and a modified grounded theory approach to narrative analysis, we identified three key themes: (1) systems-level issues with accessing information about genetic counseling and genetic testing; (2) practice-level patterns in information delivery and self-awareness about knowledge limitations; and (3) client-level concerns about the value of genetic testing relative to difficulties with access and stress caused by the information. The results of this study can be used to develop decision aids that include information about genetic testing and genetic counseling access for pregnant people intending home births in the United States.

Understanding birthing preferences of women in Benin City, Nigeria: a qualitative study.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to explore women's birthing preferences and the motivational and contextual factors that influence their preferences in Benin City, Nigeria, so as to better understand the low rates of healthcare facility usage during childbirth. SETTING: Two primary care centres, a community health centre and a church within Benin City, Nigeria. PARTICIPANTS: We conducted one-on-one in-depth interviews with 23 women, and six focus groups (FGDs) with 37 husbands of women who delivered, skilled birth attendants (SBAs), and traditional birth attendants (TBAs) in a semi-rural region of Benin City, Nigeria. RESULTS: Three themes emerged in the data: (1) women reported frequently experiencing maltreatment from SBAs in clinic settings and hearing stories of maltreatment dissuaded women from giving birth in clinics, (2) women reported that the decision of where to deliver is impacted by how they sort through a range of social, economic, cultural and environmental factors; (3) women and SBAs offered systemic and individual level solutions for increasing usage of healthcare facilities delivery, which included decreasing costs, increasing the ratio of SBAs to patients and SBAs adopting some practices of TBAs, such as providing psychosocial support to women during the perinatal period. CONCLUSION: Women in Benin City, Nigeria indicated that they want a birthing experience that is emotionally supportive, results in a healthy baby and is within their cultural scope. Adopting a woman-centred care approach may encourage more women to transition from prenatal care to childbirth with SBAs. Efforts should be placed on training SBAs as well as investigating how non-harmful cultural practices can be integrated into local healthcare systems.

Motivações para escolha do parto domiciliar planejado / Motivos para elegir el parto a domicilio previsto / Motivations for choosing planned home birth

Objetivo: compreender as motivações das mulheres na escolha do parto domiciliar planejado e as percepções dessa vivência. Método: estudo descritivo, exploratório e qualitativo, desenvolvido com 14 mulheres que vivenciaram um parto domiciliar planejado entre janeiro de 2019 e dezembro de 2020. As entrevistas foram realizadas entre março e maio de 2021, transcritas na íntegra e submetidas à análise de conteúdo. Resultados: a análise possibilitou compreender que as motivações para escolha do parto domiciliar planejado estiveram relacionadas ao sentimento de medo das práticas obstétricas hospitalares. A segurança no ambiente domiciliar, a garantia da autonomia e a possibilidade da presença dos filhos foram tanto motivações como percepções positivas dessa vivência. A resistência por parte da sociedade foi frequentemente vivenciada. Conclusão: o modelo obstétrico vigente precisa ser repensado e readequado, com vistas à oferta assistência ao parto segura e respeitosa, seja em âmbito domiciliar ou hospitalar.

Objetivo: comprender las motivaciones de las mujeres en la elección del parto domiciliario planeado y las percepciones de esa vivencia. Método: estudio descriptivo, exploratorio y cualitativo, desarrollado con 14 mujeres que experimentaron un parto domiciliario planeado entre enero de 2019 y diciembre de 2020. Las entrevistas se realizaron entre marzo y mayo de 2021, transcritas en su totalidad y sometidas al análisis de contenido. Resultados: el análisis permitió comprender que las motivaciones para la elección del parto domiciliar planeado estuvieron relacionadas con el sentimiento de miedo de las prácticas obstétricas hospitalarias. La seguridad en el ambiente domiciliario, la garantía de la autonomía y la posibilidad de la presencia de los hijos fueron tanto motivaciones como percepciones positivas de esa vivencia. La resistencia por parte de la sociedad fue frecuentemente experimentada. Conclusión: el modelo obstétrico vigente necesita ser repensado y readequado, con vistas a la oferta asistencia al parto segura y respetuosa, sea en ámbito domiciliar u hospitalario.

Objective to understand the motivations of women in choosing the planned home birth and the perceptions of this experience. Method: descriptive, exploratory and qualitative study, developed with 14 women who experienced a planned home birth between January 2019 and December 2020. The interviews were conducted between March and May 2021, transcribed in full and submitted to content analysis. Results: the allowed understanding that the motivations for choosing planned home birth were related to the feeling of fear of hospital obstetric practices. Safety in the home environment, the guarantee of autonomy and the possibility of the presence of children were both motivations and positive perceptions of this experience. Resistance on the part of society was often experienced. Conclusion: the current obstetric model needs to be rethought and readjusted, in order to provide safe and respectful birth, whether at home or in the hospital.

Why do women attend antenatal care but give birth at home? a qualitative study in a rural Ghanaian District.

BACKGROUND: The Sustainable Development Goal Three has prioritised reducing maternal, under-5 and neonatal mortalities as core global health policy objectives. The place, where expectant mothers choose to deliver their babies has a direct effect on maternal health outcomes. In sub-Saharan Africa, existing literature has shown that some women attend antenatal care during pregnancy but choose to deliver their babies at home. Using the Andersen and Newman Behavioural Model, this study explored the institutional and socio-cultural factors motivating women to deliver at home after attending antenatal care. METHODS: A qualitative, exploratory, cross-sectional design was deployed. Data were collected from a purposive sample of 23 women, who attended antenatal care during pregnancy but delivered their babies at home, 10 health workers and 17 other community-level stakeholders. The data were collected through semi-structured interviews, which were audio-recorded, transcribed and thematically analysed. RESULTS: In line with the Andersen and Newman Model, the study discovered that traditional and religious belief systems about marital fidelity and the role of the gods in childbirth, myths about consequences of facility-based delivery, illiteracy, and weak women's autonomy in healthcare decision-making, predisposed women to home delivery. Home delivery was also enabled by inadequate midwives at health facilities, the unfriendly attitude of health workers, hidden charges for facility-based delivery, and long distances to healthcare facilities. The fear of caesarean section, also created the need for women who attended antenatal care to deliver at home. CONCLUSION: The study has established that socio-cultural and institutional level factors influenced women's decisions to deliver at home. We recommend a general improvement in the service delivery capacity of health facilities, and the implementation of collaborative educational and women empowerment programmes by stakeholders, to strengthen women's autonomy and reshape existing traditional and religious beliefs facilitating home delivery.

Desejando parir naturalmente: perspectiva de mulheres sobre o parto domiciliar planejado com uma enfermeira obstétrica / Wanting to give birth naturally: women's perspective on planned homebirth with a nurse midwife / Deseando parir naturalmente: perspectiva de mujeres sobre el parto domiciliario planificado con una enfermera obstétrica

Objetivo: descrever a escolha do parto domiciliar planejado acompanhado por enfermeira obstétrica em um centro urbano de grande porte, na perspectiva de mulheres brasileiras. Métodos: estudo qualitativo guiado pela Grounded Theory. Foram entrevistadas dez mulheres com idade entre 20 e 41 anos que tiveram parto domiciliar planejado acompanhadas por enfermeiras obstétricas. As participantes foram recrutadas por meio de rede social, acessando um grupo de mulheres que escreveram sobre seu parto domiciliar. Resultados: Emergiram duas categorias: Não vendo possibilidade de parir naturalmente no ambiente hospitalar e Pensando na segurança do parto domiciliar planejado. O hospital representou vários aspectos desfavoráveis como intervenções desnecessárias e solidão. As mulheres consideravam o lar um lugar seguro para parir, conectado aos cuidados de enfermeiras obstétricas. Conclusão: há mulheres que não desejam parir no hospital, preferindo parir em casa e do ponto de vista dos direitos humanos e dos cuidados desmedicalizados, as enfermeiras obstétricas devem apoiar as mulheres nessa sua decisão.

Objective: to describe the choice of planned homebirth attended by a nurse midwife in a large urban centre, from the perspective of Brazilian women. Methods: in this Grounded Theory study, ten women aged 20 to 41 years, who had a planned homebirth accompanied by a nurse midwife, were interviewed. Participants were recruited through a social network by accessing a group of women who wrote about their homebirth. Results: two categories emerged: seeing no possibility of giving birth naturally in the hospital environment; and thinking about the safety of a planned homebirth. Hospital represented several unfavourable aspects, such as unnecessary interventions and loneliness. Women thought of home as a safe place to give birth, connected with nurse midwife care. Conclusion: there are women who do not wish to give birth in hospital, but prefer to give birth at home and, from the point of view of human rights and de-medicalized care, nurse midwives should support women in their decision.

Objetivo: describir la elección del parto domiciliario planificado con enfermera obstétrica en un gran centro urbano, desde la perspectiva de mujeres brasileñas. Métodos: estudio cualitativo guiado por la Grounded Theory. Se entrevistó a diez mujeres entre 20 y 41 años que tuvieron parto domiciliario planificado, siendo acompañadas de enfermeras obstétricas. Las participantes fueron reclutadas a través de red social, accediendo a un grupo de mujeres que escribieron sobre su parto en domicilio. Resultados: surgieron dos categorías: las que no veían posibilidad de dar a luz naturalmente en el hospital y las que pensaron en la seguridad del parto domiciliario planificado. El hospital representó varios aspectos desfavorables como intervenciones innecesarias y soledad. Las mujeres consideraban que el hogar era un ambiente seguro para dar a luz, vinculado al cuidado de enfermeras obstétricas. Conclusión: hay mujeres que no desean dar a luz en el hospital, prefieren hacerlo en casa y, desde el punto de vista de los derechos humanos y de los cuidados sin la intervención de un médico, las enfermeras obstétricas deben apoyarlas en esa decisión.

Coverage and factors associated with mother and newborn skin-to-skin contact in Nigeria: a multilevel analysis.

BACKGROUND: Mother and newborn skin-to-skin contact (SSC) is an immediate postpartum intervention known to improve the health of newborn and mothers alike. Albeit, there is paucity of data that explored the coverage or factors associated with SSC in Nigeria. Therefore, we aimed to explore the coverage and hierarchical nature of the factors associated with SSC among women of reproductive age in Nigeria. METHODS: The 2018 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS) data was used for this study. Data on 29,992 women who had ever given birth were extracted for analysis. SSC was the outcome variable as determined by women's report. A multivariable multilevel logistic regression model was used to estimate the fixed and random effects of the factors associated with SSC. Statistical significance was determined at p< 0.05. RESULTS: The coverage of SSC was approximately 12.0%. Educated women had higher odds of SSC, when compared with women with no formal education. Those who delivered through caesarean section (CS) had 88% reduction in SSC, when compared with women who had vaginal delivery (OR= 0.12; 95%CI: 0.07, 0.22). Women who delivered at health facility were 15.58 times as likely to practice SSC, when compared with those who delivered at home (OR= 15.58; 95%CI: 10.64, 22.82). Adequate ANC visits and low birth weight significantly increased the odds of SSC. Women from richest household were 1.70 times as likely to practice SSC, when compared with women from poorest household (OR= 1.70; 95%CI: 1.04, 2.79). There was 65% reduction in SSC among women with high rate of community non-use of media, when compared with women from low rate of community non-use of media (OR= 0.35; 95%CI: 0.20, 0.61). CONCLUSION: SSC coverage was low in Nigeria. Moreover, individual, household and community level factors were associated with SSC. More enlightenment should be created among women to bring to limelight the importance of SSC specifically to newborn's health.

Birth cultures: A qualitative approach to home birthing in Chile.

BACKGROUND: Birth cultures have been transforming in recent years mainly affecting birth care and its socio-political contexts. This situation has affected the feeling of well-being in women at the time of giving birth. AIM: For this reason, our objective was to analyse the social meaning that women ascribe to home births in the Chilean context. METHOD: We conducted thirty semi-structured interviews with women living in diverse regions ranging from northern to southern Chile, which we carried out from a theoretical-methodological perspective of phenomenology and situated knowledge. Qualitative thematic analysis was used to analyse the information collected in the field work. FINDINGS: A qualitative thematic analysis produced the following main theme: 1) Home birth journeys. Two sub-categories: 1.1) Making the decision to give birth at home, 1.2) Giving birth: (re)birth. And four sub-categories also emerged: 1.1.1) Why do I need to give birth at home? 1.1.2) The people around me don't support me; 1.2.1) Shifting emotions during home birth, 1.2.2) I (don't) want to be alone. CONCLUSION: We concluded that home births involve an intense and diverse range of satisfactions and tensions, the latter basically owing to the sociocultural resistance surrounding women. For this reason, they experienced home birth as an act of protest and highly valued the presence of midwives and their partners.

Barriers for kangaroo mother care (KMC) acceptance, and practices in southern Ethiopia: a model for scaling up uptake and adherence using qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: Globally, approximately 15 million babies are born preterm every year. Complications of prematurity are the leading cause of under-five mortality. There is overwhelming evidence from low, middle, and high-income countries supporting kangaroo mother care (KMC) as an effective strategy to prevent mortality in both preterm and low birth weight (LBW) babies. However, implementation and scale-up of KMC remains a challenge, especially in lowincome countries such as Ethiopia. This formative research study, part of a broader KMC implementation project in Southern Ethiopia, aimed to identify the barriers to KMC implementation and to devise a refined model to deliver KMC across the facility to community continuum. METHODS: A formative research study was conducted in Southern Ethiopia using a qualitative explorative approach that involved both health service providers and community members. Twenty-fourin-depth interviewsand 14 focus group discussions were carried out with 144study participants. The study applied a grounded theory approach to identify,examine, analyse and extract emerging themes, and subsequently develop a model for KMC implementation. RESULTS: Barriers to KMC practice included gaps in KMC knowledge, attitude and practices among parents of preterm and LBW babies;socioeconomic, cultural and structural factors; thecommunity's beliefs and valueswith respect to preterm and LBW babies;health professionals' acceptance of KMC as well as their motivation to implement practices; and shortage of supplies in health facilities. CONCLUSIONS: Our study suggests a comprehensive approach with systematic interventions and support at maternal, family, community, facility and health care provider levels. We propose an implementation model that addresses this community to facility continuum.

Being in charge in an encounter with extremes. A survey study on how women experience and work with labour pain in a Nordic home birth setting.

PROBLEM: There is a knowledge gap regarding women's experiences of coping with labour pain when not soliciting or not having access to pharmacological pain relief. BACKGROUND: How women manage labour pain is complex, multifaceted and only the woman giving birth can assess the experienced pain. Women in the Nordic countries planning for a homebirth have little or no access to pharmacologic pain relief during labour. AIM: The aim of this study was to explore how women experience and work with labour pain when giving birth in their own home. METHODS: Quantitative and qualitative data was prospectively collected and altogether 1649 women with a planned homebirth answered closed and open-ended questions about labour pain and birth experience. RESULTS: While labour pain was often experienced as positive or very positive, the intensity was experienced as severe or the worst imaginable pain. Two main themes arose from the womens´ descriptions of their birth experience regarding labour pain: An encounter with extremes and Being in charge at home. DISCUSSION: Women perceived labour pain as severe but manageable and were dedicated to completing the birth at home. Being at home enabled the women to exercise autonomy and work with labour pain on their own terms, together with the midwife and support persons. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides knowledge about women's experiences of labour pain in a home birth setting who used varying strategies to work with labour pain. This is a subject that should be explored further since results could also apply to facility-based birth settings.

Why do women choose homebirth in Australia? A national survey.

BACKGROUND: In Australia there have been regulatory and insurance changes negatively affecting homebirth. AIM: The aim of this study is to explore the characteristics, needs and experiences of women choosing to have a homebirth in Australia. METHODS: A national survey was conducted and promoted through social media networks to women who have planned a homebirth in Australia. Data were analysed to generate descriptive statistics. FINDINGS: 1681 surveys were analysed. The majority of women indicated a preference to give birth at home with a registered midwife. However, if a midwife was not available, half of the respondents indicated they would give birth without a registered midwife (freebirth) or find an unregistered birthworker. A further 30% said they would plan a hospital or birth centre birth. In choosing homebirth, women disclosed that they wanted to avoid specific medical interventions and the medicalised hospital environment. Nearly 60% of women reported at least one risk factor that would have excluded them from a publicly funded homebirth programme. Many women described their previous hospital experience as traumatic (32%) and in some cases, leading to a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD, 6%). Only 5% of women who reported on their homebirth experience considered it to be traumatic (PTSD, 1%). The majority of these were associated with how they were treated when transferred to hospital in labour. CONCLUSION: There is an urgent need to expand homebirth options in Australia and humanise mainstream maternity care. A potential rise in freebirth may be the consequences of inaction.

A perspectiva dos homens sobre os partos domiciliares planejados / Le point de vue des hommes sur l'accouchement assisté à domicile / La perspectiva de los hombres sobre partos domiciliarios planificados / The male perspective on planned home births

Resumo Este artigo apresenta os resultados de uma pesquisa que teve por objetivo estudar a perspectiva dos homens/pais sobre o parto domiciliar e os modos como eles participaram do nascimento de seus/suas filhos/as. Realizamos entrevistas semiestruturadas com cinco homens que participaram dos partos domiciliares e do nascimento de seus filhos. A análise discursiva possibilitou identificar que os homens prepararam-se para o parto, vivenciaram muitas expectativas e aprendizagens nesse processo, enfrentaram diversos preconceitos contra o parto domiciliar e participaram ativamente do parto e do pós-parto. Concluímos que, na perspectiva dos homens/pais, o parto domiciliar é uma experiência enriquecedora que amplia as possibilidades de participação dos homens nesse evento e o exercício da paternidade durante o planejamento e o parto.

Résumé Cet article présent les résultats d'une recherche qui a eu pour but d'étudier le point de vue des hommes/parents sur l'accouchement assisté à domicile et la manière dont ils ont y participé. Nous avons mené des interviews semi-structurés avec cinq hommes qui ont participé à des accouchements assistés à domicile. L'analyse discursive a permis d'identifier que les hommes se sont préparés à l'accouchement, ont vécu de nombreuses attentes et ont appris dans ce processus, ont fait face à divers préjugés contre l'accouchement à domicile et ont participé activement à l'accouchement et au post-partum. On conclut que pour les hommes/parents, l'accouchement assisté à domicile est une expérience enrichissante qui élargit les possibilités de participation des hommes à cet événement et l'exercice de la paternité pendant la planification et l'accouchement.

Resumen En este artículo presentamos los resultados de una investigación que tuvo por objetivo estudiar la perspectiva de los hombres/padres sobre el parto domiciliar y los modos en que ellos participaron en el nacimiento de sus hijos/as. Realizamos entrevistas semiestructuradas con cinco hombres que participaron en los partos domiciliarios y el nacimiento de sus hijos/as. El análisis discursivo posibilitó identificar que vivenciaron muchas expectativas y aprendizajes en ese proceso; enfrentaron diversos prejuicios contra el parto domiciliar y participaron activamente en el parto y en el posparto. Concluimos que en la perspectiva de los hombres/padres el parto domiciliar es una experiencia enriquecedora que amplía las posibilidades de participación de ellos en ese evento y el ejercicio de la paternidad durante todo el proceso de planificación y del parto.

Abstract This article reports the results of a research on how fathers perceive and participate in home births. For that, five men who participated in the home birth of their children underwent a semi-structured interview, whose content was analyzed by means of discourse analysis. The results indicate that, despite the prejudices against home birth faced by these men, they actively participated in childbirth and postpartum. From the male perspective, home birth is an enriching experience that increase men's participation and widen the exercise of paternity during the whole process.

Newborn Screening Knowledge and Attitudes Among Midwives and Out-of-Hospital-Birth Parents.

Midwifery and nursing are collaborative partners in both education and practice. Understanding needs and barriers to clinical services such as newborn screening is essential. This study examined knowledge and attitudes of midwives and out-of-hospital-birth parents about newborn blood spot screening (NBS). Descriptive and cross-sectional surveys were distributed to midwives and out-of-hospital-birth parents from birth center registries and the Utah Health Department of Vital Records. Seventeen midwife surveys (response rate: 17%) and 113 parent surveys (response rate: 31%) were returned. Most midwives and out-of-hospital-birth parents reported satisfactory knowledge scores about NBS. Only 5% of parents (n = 6) did not participate in NBS. Most midwives reported that NBS is important and encouraged patients to consider undergoing NBS. Some concerns included the lack of education for both midwives and out-of-hospital patients and the trauma and accuracy of the heel prick soon after birth. Both midwives and out-of-hospital-birth parents expressed a need for improved NBS education. Additional studies are needed to ascertain whether this trend is seen with similar populations throughout the United States, to further elucidate the factors that drive NBS nonparticipation, and to develop educational resources for midwives and their patients.

Why do women not use skilled birth attendance service? An explorative qualitative study in north West Ethiopia.

BACKGROUND: Having a birth attendant with midwifery skills during childbirth is an effective intervention to reduce maternal and early neonatal morbidity and mortality. Nevertheless, many women in Ethiopia still deliver a baby at home. The current study aimed at exploring and describing reasons why women do not use skilled delivery care in North West Ethiopia. METHODS: This descriptive explorative qualitative research was done in two districts of West Gojjam Zone in North West Ethiopia. Fourteen focus group discussions (FGDs) were conducted with pregnant women and mothers who delivered within one year. An inductive thematic analysis approach was employed to analyse the qualitative data. The data analysis adhered to reading, coding, displaying, reducing, and interpreting data analysis steps. RESULTS: Two major themes client-related factors and health system-related factors emerged. Factors that emerged within the major theme of client-related were socio-cultural factors, fear of health facility childbirth, the nature of labour, lack of antenatal care (ANC) during pregnancy, lack of health facility childbirth experience, low knowledge and poor early care-seeking behaviour. Under the major theme of health system-related factors, the sub-themes that emerged were low quality of service, lack of respectful care, and inaccessibility of health facility. CONCLUSIONS: This study identified a myriad of supply-side and client-related factors as reasons given by pregnant women, for not giving birth in health institution. These factors should be redressed by considering the specific supply-side and community perspectives. The results of this study provide evidence that could help policymakers to develop strategies to address barriers identified, and improve utilisation of skilled delivery service.

Jordanian women's experiences and constructions of labour and birth in different settings, over time and across generations: a qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: Overwhelmingly, women in Middle Eastern countries experience birth as dehumanising and disrespectful. Women's stories can be a very powerful way of informing health services about the impact of the care they receive and can promote practice change. The aim of this study is to examine Jordanian women's experiences and constructions of labour and birth in different settings (home, public and private hospitals in Jordan, and Australian public hospitals), over time and across generations. METHOD: A qualitative interpretive design was used. Data were collected by face-to-face semi-structured interviews with 27 Jordanian women. Of these women, 20 were living in Jordan (12 had given birth in the last five years and eight had birthed over 15 years ago) while seven were living in Australia (with birthing experience in both Jordan and Australia). Interview data were transcribed verbatim and analysed thematically. RESULTS: Women's birth experiences differed across settings and generations and were represented in the four themes: 'Birth at home: a place of comfort and control'; 'Public Hospital: you should not have to suffer'; 'Private Hospital: buying control' and 'Australian maternity care: a mixed experience'. In each theme, the concepts: Pain, Privacy, the Personal and to a lesser extent, Purity (cleanliness), were present but experienced in different ways depending on the setting (home, public or private hospital) and the country. CONCLUSIONS: The findings demonstrate how meanings attributed to labour and birth, particularly the experience of pain, are produced in different settings, providing insights into the institutional management and social context of birth in Jordan and other Middle Eastern countries. In the public hospital environment in Jordan, women had no support and were treated disrespectfully. This was in stark contrast to women birthing at home only one generation before. Change is urgently needed to offer humanised birth in the Jordanian maternity system.

Seeing birth in a new light: The transformational effect of exposure to homebirth for hospital-based midwives.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to explore hospital-based midwives' experiences of providing publicly-funded homebirth services in Australia. DESIGN: A qualitative descriptive study using a constructivist grounded theory methodology was undertaken. SETTING: Five different states or territories of Australia where publicly-funded homebirth services were operating. PARTICIPANTS: Interviews were conducted with 21 midwives and midwifery managers from eight different public hospitals who had recent experience of working in, or with, publicly-funded homebirth models. FINDINGS: Witnessing undisturbed birth in the home setting transformed midwives' attitudes towards birth. Following exposure to homebirth, many midwives felt they were seeing undisturbed birth for the first time. This led them to question their current understanding of physiological birth and develop a new awareness of the powerful influence that the environment has on labouring women. This new understanding resulted in changes to their practice. KEY CONCLUSIONS: For midwives accustomed to working in hospital settings, exposure to homebirth deepened their understanding of physiological birth, resulting in a perspective transformation and subsequent shift in practice. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Exposure to homebirth may motivate midwives to alter their practice in both home and hospital settings in order to shift the power dynamic between women and caregivers and protect women from unnecessary disturbance during labour.

Why women chose unassisted home birth in Malaysia: a qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: Incidences of unassisted home birthing practices have been increasing in Malaysia despite the accessibility to safe and affordable child birthing facilities. We aimed to explore the reasons for women to make such decisions. METHODS: Twelve women participated in in-depth interviews. They were recruited using a snowballing approach. The interviews were supported by a topic guide which was developed based on the Theory of Planned Behaviour and previous literature. The interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed using thematic analysis. RESULTS: Women in this study described a range of birthing experiences and personal beliefs as to why they chose unassisted home birth. Four themes emerged from the interviews; i) preferred birthing experience, ii) birth is a natural process, iii) expressing autonomy and iv) faith. Such decision to birth at home unassisted was firm and steadfast despite the possible risks and complications that can occur. Giving birth is perceived to occur naturally regardless of assistance, and unassisted home birth provides the preferred environment which health facilities in Malaysia may lack. They believed that they were in control of the birth processes apart from fulfilling the spiritual beliefs. CONCLUSIONS: Women may choose unassisted home birth to express their personal views and values, at the expense of the health risks. Apart from increasing mothers' awareness of the possible complications arising from unassisted home births, urgent efforts are needed to provide better birth experiences in healthcare facilities that resonate with the mothers' beliefs and values.