M.Cur. / There is little information about the outcomes and safety of home births, although more and more women are starting to lean towards natural and active births. A home birth provides a more relaxed environment with familiar attendants and less medical intervention. No separation exists between mother and baby as well as other family members. Freedom of movement is promoted and the woman can eat and drink as she pleases. Unnecessary routine preparation for labour doesn't exist and privacy is respected. The purpose of this research was to explore and describe the outcomes of home births in Pretoria, attended by private midwifes, and to provide guidelines in relation with home births.

M.Cur. / Women approach the experience of childbirth from their own frame of reference, expectations and the types of experiences which they encountered during their lifetime. Although much is done to prepare women for childbirth and motherhood, little information is obtained about the mother's experience of childbirth during the intra partum period, regardless of delivering naturally or with the administering of epidural anaesthesia. with this research it was endeavoured to gain more knowledge about the experiences of women during childbirth. The midwife can use this knowledge to have better insight in the needs of these women to ensure a better quality of patient care. A qualitative study was undertaken. The phenomenological method (the autobiographical method) was used, within the context of a private hospital on the West Rand. During March to April 1990 unstructured (non formative) interviews were conducted with 10 primigravidas that delivered vaginally. Five of the 10 women made use of epidural anaesthesia. A study of the literature was done to determine what the experts have already ascertained about this phenomenon. Themes were selected from the literature and the women's experiences were accordingly grouped. of this research, it appears that the who have delivered by means of epidural from those who delivered naturally. were identified where women had the same From the findings experiences of women anaesthesia, differ Universal experiences type of delivery. Recommendations were made on how the midwife can contribute to fulfil in the identified needs of the woman in labour.

Title: SOCIAL-PSYCHOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF CHILDBIRTH EXPERIENCE AND THEIR IMPACT ON EARLY PARENTAL SELF-EFFICACY OF FIRST-TIME MOTHERS Author: Eliška Kodyšová Department of Psychology, Faculty of Arts, Charles University in Prague Supervisor: PhDr. Simona Horáková Hoskovcová, PhD., Department of Psychology, Faculty of Arts, Charles University in Prague Abstract: Transition to parenthood is a significant transition period in a woman's psychological ontogenesis. An important predictor of parenting abilities and well-being is parental self-efficacy. Recent studies show that mothers' parental self-efficacy can be influenced by childbirth satisfaction, which, in turn, is predicted by social-psychological aspects of childbirth experience, especially support by caregivers. In a longitudinal 2-phase research, we have followed parental self-efficacy determinants working around 1st childbirth as well as childbirth experience determinants. Using multiple linear regression analysis we determined that although parental self-efficacy is mainly prenatally determined, caregivers' support and baby's soothability can impact it positively. We have also confirmed the decisive influence of caregivers' support on childbirth satisfaction in our sample, which is representative for Czech primiparas. ...

The topic of this thesis is woman's experience with natural childbirth and its potential for disruption of medical discourse, which is in the Czech Republic in obstetrics still dominating. Through the method of discoursive analysis I am trying to generate any behavior that may be in conflict with social expectations and may question norms and standards in the field of pregnancy and obstetrics. I am also trying to trace whether and how does the deepening and gaining of the birth knowledge lead to the transformation of woman's identity. Theoretically, the work is grounded in a post-structuralist paradigm and builds on the concepts of biopower, performative acting and authoritative knowledge. Data sources are stories written in support of a midwife Ivana Königsmarková and published on the internet (www.pribehyproivanu.cz).

The thesis is aimed at perinatal factors affecting the emotional bond between a mother and a child (boding) during the first weeks postpartum. The literature review is divided into three chapters. The first chapter discusses the childbirth, the experience of childbirth and the factors affecting a subjective evaluation of the childbirth by a parturient. The second chapter follows up with an overview of findings concerning the initial afterbirth moments, and the interaction between a mother and a child during early contact. The third chapter introduces the concept of bonding. It describes its manifestations, possible measuring methods, and factors influencing its quality. The research part analyzes perinatal factors affecting bonding on a sample of 1108 mothers with the use of generalized linear regression. The independent variables are: mode of birth, the evaluation of childbirth experience by mother, and the process of early contact between a mother and a child. The results show that bonding during the first weeks postpartum was not affected by the mode of birth or by the parturient's evaluation of the childbirth experience. A significant effect was found in the occurrence of early contact between a mother and a child; mothers who had contact with the child during the first postpartum hour reported...

This study ethnographically explores the experiences of 30 American Mormon women who chose to give birth at home, a practice which differs from the culturally expected birth practice supported by most media birth scenes. The dominant birth practice among American Mormon women aligns with the biomedical birth system nearly universally practiced in the United States. Recent research indicates that the biomedical model is supported by most media portrayals of birth (Elson 1997b). Mormon women who had given birth at home with a midwife were located and invited to participate. A semi-structured interview guide was used to frame the research process. Verbatim transcriptions of the interviews provided the raw data for coding and analysis.

Bakgrund Vattenfödsel innebär att den födande befinner sig i vatten och att barnet föds fram under ytan. Det finns många fördelar med att föda i vatten och det är ovanligt med negativa utfall för mor eller barn. Vattenfödslar efterfrågas av födande kvinnor, men är inte tillgängligt på alla förlossningskliniker. Barnmorskor ska bistå den fysiologiska processen och stödja kvinnor valfrihet, varför det av vikt att få en djupare förståelse för kvinnors upplevelser av vattenfödslar. Syfte Att beskriva kvinnors upplevelser av att föda barn i vatten. Metod En kvalitativ litteraturöversikt med åtta inkluderade artiklar, publicerade åren 1998–2022, med sammanlagt 198 deltagare. Sex av artiklarna bedömdes ha obetydliga/mindre metodologiska brister och två måttliga metodologiska brister. Analysmetod var innehållsanalys med induktiv ansats. Resultat I resultatet framkom två övergripande teman. Positiva och stödjande upplevelser av att föda i vatten beskriver upplevelser kopplade till relationer, kroppsliga och mentala faktorer samt miljön. Negativa upplevelser av att föda i vatten beskriver oro och rädsla kring att tappa kontroll och att barnet ska ta skada av att födas i vatten. Slutsats Vattenfödsel upplevdes generellt som något mycket positivt av födande kvinnor. Det ökade avslappningsförmågan samt var smärtlindrande. Vidare upplevdes det stärkande och ökade känslan av att föda i en trygg hemlik miljö på egna villkor. Dessa faktorer hade förmågan att påverka kvinnans förlossningsupplevelse positivt, vilket har potential att influera hennes inställning till eventuella kommande födslar. Några få upplevde sig vara obekväma eller kände rädsla och oro under sin vattenfödsel. / Introduction Water birth implies that the woman is in water during birth and that the child is born under water. There are many benefits to water births and negative fetal or maternal outcomes are rare. Water births are desired by birthing women but aren’t available at all clinics. Midwives should support the physiological process and women’s right to choose. Therefore, it’s important to gain a deeper understanding of women’s experiences. Aim To describe women’s experiences of giving birth in water. Method A qualitative literature review with eight articles included, published between 1998-2022, with a total of 198 participants. Six of the articles was determined to have insignificant/lesser methodological flaws and two had moderate methodological flaws. Method of analysis was qualitative content analysis. Result Two overall themes were identified. Positive and supporting experiences of giving birth in water which describes feelings regarding relationships, physical and mental components, and the surrounding environment. Negative experiences of giving birth in water describes anxieties and fears regarding losing control or that the child would be harmed during water birth. Conclusion Water birth was generally a very positive experience for women. It enhanced the ability to relax and relieved pain. Being in the water was empowering, heightened the feeling of giving birth on her own terms and facilitated the creation of a safe home-like environment. These factors had the ability to positively influence the birthing experience and hence impact the women’s feelings towards potential future births. A few women experienced feelings of being uncomfortable, scared or anxious during water birth.

Clinical Psychology / M.A. (Clinical Psychology)

O nascimento é um evento natural que através dos tempos sofreu diversas modificações, levando o parto, que até então era privado, íntimo e feminino, a ser vivido de maneira pública e institucional. Atualmente vivencia-se a desmedicalização do parto e um aumento na procura das gestantes pela opção de parir em casa. No domicílio toda ação é desenvolvida em função das necessidades da mulher, e este modelo, não se resume apenas no parto domiciliar planejado, mas também na assistência pré-natal e puerperal. O puerpério é um período de adaptação física e emocional, a assistência puerperal deve garantir um olhar voltado já às primeiras alterações após o parto, devendo ser iniciado e executado um plano de cuidado. Tem-se como objetivo geral compreender o cuidado prestado pela enfermeira obstetra e/ou obstetriz no período puerperal de um parto domiciliar planejado. Trata-se de uma pesquisa qualitativa, que contou com a participação de doze parteiras que assistem partos domiciliares em algumas regiões do estado de São Paulo. Os dados foram coletados por meio de uma entrevista semi-estruturada, com a seguinte questão norteadora: \"Me fale sobre a assistência que você presta no período puerperal de um parto domiciliar\". Os dados coletados foram transcritos na íntegra e, posteriormente, analisados, utilizando o método de Interpretação dos Sentidos. Da análise emergiram três categorias: \"Motivações e valores que levaram as parteiras de volta para o domicílio\", \"O parto em casa tem que ser planejado\" e \"O cuidado puerperal de um parto domiciliar planejado\", diversos cuidados foram descritos na assistência domiciliar prestada para a mulher e para o recém-nascido. A síntese apresentada infere que a assistência puerperal domiciliar prestada pelas parteiras é individualizada, entretanto, se faz necessário, uma melhora na qualidade da abordagem emocional e pessoal da puérpera. Os resultados evidenciaram que as parteiras enfatizam mais os cuidados biomédicos do que os emocionais e humanísticos, dessa maneira é fundamental apontar que essa assistência deve ser ampliada para uma abordagem integral e individualizada / Childbirth is a natural event that has suffered several changes over time, and what was once experienced in a private, intimate, and feminine world, became public and institutional. Currently, there has been a demedicalization of childbirth, and an increase in the search by pregnant women to give birth at home. In the household, every action is developed considering the woman\'s needs, and this model is not only applied to the planned home birth, but also to prenatal and postpartum care. Postpartum is a period of physical and emotional adaptation, and postpartum care must ensure attention is given to the first changes after birth, when a care plan must be started and executed. The main objective of this study was to understand the care provided by nurse midwives in the postpartum period following a planned home birth. A qualitative study was developed with twelve nurse midwives who assist planned home births in different regions in the state of São Paulo. Data were collected by means of a semi-structured interview with the following guiding question: \"Tell me about the care you provide in the postpartum period following a planned home birth\". The collected data were fully transcribed and later analyzed using the Interpretation of Meanings method. Analysis resulted in three categories: \"Motivations and values that led the nurse midwives back to the household setting\", \"Home childbirth must be planned\", and \"Postpartum care for a planned home birth\", and different care measures were described in the home care provided to women and newborns. The synthesis presented suggests that the postpartum home care provided by nurse midwives is individualized, however the quality of the postpartum women\'s personal and emotional approach must be improved. The results evidenced that the nurse midwives emphasize biomedical care rather than an emotional and humanizing assistance, thus it is fundamental to point out that this care must be broadened to a comprehensive and individualized approach

Confirmatory factor analysis provided empirical support for the existence of the hypothesized constructs assessed by the CBSEI-C32. Doubly MANOVA indicated that the experimental group was significantly more likely than the control group to demonstrate higher self-efficacy for childbirth and lower perceived anxiety and pain in the early and middle phase of labour. The effects of the programe on anxiety and pain during labour differed according to different phase of labour. Independent samples t test also demonstrated a significantly higher level of coping behaviour performed by the experimental group as compared with the control group. (Abstract shortened by UMI.) / The aim of this study was to test the effectiveness of an educational intervention, based on Self-efficacy theory (Bandura, 1989); to promote women's self-efficacy for childbirth and their coping ability for reducing anxiety and pain during labour. The study consisted of two phases: the 1st phase was to establish the validity and reliability of the primary outcome measure of the phase 2 study: a short form of the Chinese version of the Childbirth Self-efficacy Inventory (CBSEI-C32). The confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to establish the construct validity of the CBSEI-C32. In the 2nd phase, the focus was to test the effectiveness of educational intervention to promote women's self-efficacy for childbirth and their coping behaviour during labour. The researcher used an experimental design with random assignment of eligible participants into experimental (n = 54) or control (n = 62) group that completed one pre-test (baseline at 32--34 weeks of gestation) and three posttest surveys (post-intervention at 37 weeks of gestation and within 48 hours and 6 weeks after delivery). The experimental group received two 90-minute sessions of an educational program offered at 33--35 weeks of gestation based on Bandura's (1986) self-efficacy theory. The primary outcome measures were the two subscales of the CBSEI-C32: outcome expectancy (OE-16) and efficacy expectancy (EE-16). The secondary measures included psychological morbidity (GHQ12), pain and anxiety during labour (VAS) and performance of coping behaviour during labour (CCB). Physiological labour outcomes in terms of mode of delivery, length of labour, types of analgesia used, Apgar scores of newborn and neonatal admission were also extracted from the participants' medical record. / Ip Wan Yim. / "June 2005." / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 67-07, Section: B, page: 3717. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 159-191). / Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Electronic reproduction. [Ann Arbor, MI] : ProQuest Information and Learning, [200-] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / School code: 1307.