Dutch women's perceptions of childbirth in the Netherlands.
OBJECTIVE
To explore the lived experience of childbirth in Dutch women who had given birth at home in the Netherlands.


METHODS
Qualitative study using audiotaped interviews with 14 women.


RESULTS
Themes included the advantages of giving birth in the home, where the women felt more in control of their environment; the difficulty and normalcy of the pain associated with giving birth; the feelings of fulfillment and empowerment that come with childbirth and motherhood; and the importance of the supportive role of the midwife-caregiver.


CONCLUSIONS
Women in a culture different from that of the United States who gave birth at home felt fulfilled and empowered by the experience. These results can help U.S. nurses more fully understand the meaning of childbirth in a different culture and may help identify possible improvements in the design of care for women and newborns in the United States.
Johnson
Taralyn R
TR
Pediatric Care, Provo, UT, USA.
Callister
Lynn Clark
LC
Freeborn
Donna S
DS
Beckstrand
Renea L
RL
Huender
Katinka
K
D000328:Adult; D001294:Attitude to Health; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D005260:Female; D006700:Home Childbirth / Q000451:nursing / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007743:Labor, Obstetric / Q000523:psychology; D008880:Midwifery / Q000379:methods*; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology*; D009321:Natural Childbirth / Q000451:nursing / Q000523:psychology*; D009426:Netherlands; D024802:Nurse's Role; D009723:Nurse-Patient Relations; D010298:Parity; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011247:Pregnancy; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome; D012649:Self Concept; D012933:Social Identification; D012944:Social Support; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States