Giving birth : expectations of first time mothers in Switzerland at the mid point of pregnancy

Fleming, Valerie; Meyer, Yvonne; Frank, Franziska; van Gogh, Susanne; Schirinzi, Laura; Michoud, Bénédicte; de Labrusse, Claire

doi:10.1016/j.wombi.2017.04.002

Publication type:	Article in scientific journal
Type of review:	Peer review (publication)
Title:	Giving birth : expectations of first time mothers in Switzerland at the mid point of pregnancy
Authors:	Fleming, Valerie Meyer, Yvonne Frank, Franziska van Gogh, Susanne Schirinzi, Laura Michoud, Bénédicte de Labrusse, Claire
DOI:	10.1016/j.wombi.2017.04.002
Published in:	Women and Birth
Volume(Issue):	30
Issue:	6
Page(s):	443
Pages to:	449
Issue Date:	2017
Publisher / Ed. Institution:	Elsevier
ISSN:	1871-5192 1878-1799
Language:	English
Subjects:	Caesarean section; Decision making in pregnancy; Expectation; Switzerland; Thematic analysis
Subject (DDC):	618: Gynecology, obstetrics and midwifery
Abstract:	Problem and background: Despite a generally affluent society, the caesarean section rate in Switzerland has steadily climbed in recent years from 22.9% in 1998 to 33.7% in 2014. Speculation by the media has prompted political questions as to the reasons. However, there is no clear evidence as to why the Swiss rate should be so high especially in comparison with neighbouring countries. Aim: To describe the emerging expectations of giving birth of healthy primigravid women in the early second semester of pregnancy in four Swiss cantons. Methods: Qualitative individual interviews with 58 healthy primigravid women, were audio recorded, transcribed and subjected to thematic analysis. Recruitment took place through public and private hospitals, birth centres, obstetricians and independent midwives. The main ethical issues were informed consent, autonomy, confidentiality and anonymity. Findings: The three main themes identified were taking or avoiding decisions, experiencing a continuum of emotions and planning the care. Discussion: Being pregnant was part of a project women had mapped out for their lives. Only three women in our sample expressed a wish for a caesarean section. One of the strongest emotions was that of fear but in contrast some participants expressed faith that their bodies would cope with the experience. Conclusion: Bringing together the three languages and cultures produced a truly “Swiss” study showing contrasts between a matter of fact approach to pregnancy and the concept of fear. Such a contrast is worthy of further and deeper exploration by a multi-disciplinary research team.
URI:	https://digitalcollection.zhaw.ch/handle/11475/1895
Fulltext version:	Published version
License (according to publishing contract):	Licence according to publishing contract
Departement:	School of Health Sciences
Organisational Unit:	Institute of Midwifery and Reproductive Health (IHG)
Published as part of the ZHAW project:	Qualitätsindikatoren für frei praktizierende Hebammen
Appears in collections:	Publikationen Gesundheit

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Fleming, V., Meyer, Y., Frank, F., van Gogh, S., Schirinzi, L., Michoud, B., & de Labrusse, C. (2017). Giving birth : expectations of first time mothers in Switzerland at the mid point of pregnancy. Women and Birth, 30(6), 443–449. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wombi.2017.04.002

Fleming, V. et al. (2017) ‘Giving birth : expectations of first time mothers in Switzerland at the mid point of pregnancy’, Women and Birth, 30(6), pp. 443–449. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wombi.2017.04.002.

V. Fleming et al., “Giving birth : expectations of first time mothers in Switzerland at the mid point of pregnancy,” Women and Birth, vol. 30, no. 6, pp. 443–449, 2017, doi: 10.1016/j.wombi.2017.04.002.

FLEMING, Valerie, Yvonne MEYER, Franziska FRANK, Susanne VAN GOGH, Laura SCHIRINZI, Bénédicte MICHOUD und Claire DE LABRUSSE, 2017. Giving birth : expectations of first time mothers in Switzerland at the mid point of pregnancy. Women and Birth. 2017. Bd. 30, Nr. 6, S. 443–449. DOI 10.1016/j.wombi.2017.04.002

Fleming, Valerie, Yvonne Meyer, Franziska Frank, Susanne van Gogh, Laura Schirinzi, Bénédicte Michoud, and Claire de Labrusse. 2017. “Giving Birth : Expectations of First Time Mothers in Switzerland at the Mid Point of Pregnancy.” Women and Birth 30 (6): 443–49. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wombi.2017.04.002.

Fleming, Valerie, et al. “Giving Birth : Expectations of First Time Mothers in Switzerland at the Mid Point of Pregnancy.” Women and Birth, vol. 30, no. 6, 2017, pp. 443–49, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wombi.2017.04.002.