Women’s psychological experiences of physiological childbirth: a meta-synthesis

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Date
2018-10-18
Authors
Olza, Ibone
Leahy-Warren, Patricia
Benyamini, Yael
Kazmierczak, Maria
Karlsdottir, Sigfridur Inga
Spyridou, Andria
Crespo-Mirasol, Esther
Takacs, Lea
Hall, Priscilla J.
Murphy, Margaret M.
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Publisher
BMJ Publishing Group
Published Version
10.1136/bmjopen-2017-020347
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Abstract
Objective: To synthesise qualitative studies on women’s psychological experiences of physiological childbirth. Design: Meta-synthesis. Methods: Studies exploring women’s psychological experiences of physiological birth using qualitative methods were eligible. The research group searched the following databases: MEDLINE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, PsycARTICLES, SocINDEX and Psychology and Behavioural Sciences Collection. We contacted the key authors searched reference lists of the collected articles. Quality assessment was done independently using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) checklist. Studies were synthesised using techniques of meta-ethnography. Results: Eight studies involving 94 women were included. Three third order interpretations were identified: ‘maintaining self-confidence in early labour’, ‘withdrawing within as labour intensifies’ and ‘the uniqueness of the birth experience’. Using the first, second and third order interpretations, a line of argument developed that demonstrated ‘the empowering journey of giving birth’ encompassing the various emotions, thoughts and behaviours that women experience during birth. Conclusion: Giving birth physiologically is an intense and transformative psychological experience that generates a sense of empowerment. The benefits of this process can be maximised through physical, emotional and social support for women, enhancing their belief in their ability to birth and not disturbing physiology unless it is necessary. Healthcare professionals need to take cognisance of the empowering effects of the psychological experience of physiological childbirth. Further research to validate the results from this study is necessary.
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Keywords
Long-term memories , Birth experience , Home birth , Labor , Delivery , Perceptions , Time , Perspectives , Ethnography , Postpartum
Citation
Olza, I., Leahy-Warren, P., Benyamini, Y., Kazmierczak, M., Karlsdottir, S. I., Spyridou, A., Crespo-Mirasol, E., Takács, L., Hall, P. J., Murphy, M., Jonsdottir, S. S., Downe, S. and Nieuwenhuijze, M. J. (2018) 'Women’s psychological experiences of physiological childbirth: a meta-synthesis', BMJ Open, 8(10), e020347 (11 pp). doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2017-020347
Link to publisher’s version
https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/8/10/e020347
URI
https://hdl.handle.net/10468/8022
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Nursing and Midwifery - Journal Articles
Copyright
© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2018. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ. This is an open access article distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited, appropriate credit is given, any changes made indicated, and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/.