Why do women choose homebirth in Australia? A national survey
| Autor: | Hannah G Dahlen, Simone M. Ormsby, Heather Sassine, Elaine Burns |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 2019 |
| Předmět: |
Adult
medicine.medical_specialty Birth centre Birth trauma Nurse Midwives Psychological intervention Midwifery Health Services Accessibility 03 medical and health sciences 0302 clinical medicine Pregnancy Intervention (counseling) Surveys and Questionnaires Maternity and Midwifery medicine Humans Social media Maternal Health Services Risk factor Home Childbirth 030219 obstetrics & reproductive medicine Labor Obstetric 030504 nursing Descriptive statistics business.industry Australia Parturition Obstetrics and Gynecology medicine.disease Preference Hospitals Family medicine Female 0305 other medical science business |
| Zdroj: | Women and birth : journal of the Australian College of Midwives. 34(4) |
| ISSN: | 1878-1799 |
| Popis: | 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. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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