Social relations and the option for planned home birth: an institutional ethnographic study

ABSTRACT

Aim: To reveal, with reference to everyday life, the social relations surrounding women's option for planned home births. Method: Institutional Ethnography (IE). Subjects: Seventeen women who planned home births and who gave birth at home, assisted by an obstetric physician or nurse, from January 2008 to December 2010. Data collected through semi-structured interviews between October and December 2010. Data treated to thematic analysis, referencing the theory of Dorothy Smith. Results: The category 'social relationships and their influence on the option for planned home birth' has emerged. Discussion: Thinking about power relations in terms of the option for planned home births means to encourage free choices experienced by women in terms of their distinct and different support networks. Conclusion: The empowerment of women in the birth process is essential for maternal-fetal wellbeing...