What women emphasise as important aspects of care in childbirth: An
online survey study of 8,401 women who have given birth in Norway
Abstract
Objective To explore and describe what women who have given birth in
Norway emphasise as important aspects of care during childbirth. Design
The study is based on data from the Babies Born Better survey, version
2, a mixed-method online survey. Setting The maternity care system in
Norway. Study population Women who gave birth in Norway between 2013 and
2018. Method Descriptive statistics were used to describe sample
characteristics and to compare data from the B3 survey with national
data from the MBRN, using SPSS® software (version 20). The open-ended
questions were analysed with an inductive thematic analysis, using NVIVO
12® software. Main outcome measures Themes developed from two open-ended
questions. Results The final sample included 8,401 women. There were no
important differences between the sample population and the national
population with respect to maternal age, marital status, parity, mode of
birth and place of birth, except for the proportion of planned
homebirths. Four themes and one overarching theme were identified;
Compassionate and Respectful Care, A Family Focus, Continuity and
Consistency, and Sense of Security, and the overarching theme Coherence
in Childbearing. Conclusions Socio-cultural and psychological aspects of
care are significant for women in childbirth, alongside physical and
clinical factors. Caring for the woman implies caring for her partner
and having a baby is about ‘becoming a family or expanding the family’.
Childbirth is a continuous experience in women’s lives and continuity
and consistency are important for women to maintain and promote a
coherent experience.