Giving birth: the voices of Australian women.
BACKGROUND
Women's perceptions of childbirth are defined within sociocultural context. Listening to the voices of women is essential to increase nurses' sensitivity to the needs of childbearing women and help nurses provide culturally competent healthcare.


OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to identify Australian women's perceptions of giving birth.


METHODS
Seventeen Australian women who had given birth in the past 12 months participated in audiotaped interviews. Trustworthiness of the findings was ensured. Themes were generated on the basis of rich narrative data.


RESULTS
Themes included focusing on the moment of birth, being empowered by giving birth, defining the spiritual dimension of giving birth, having a diminished or traumatic birth, feeling concern for the child, coming to know the child, and receiving care: nurses making a difference.


CONCLUSIONS
Results confirm the findings of other studies suggesting that provision of educational resources and individualized nursing care creates a climate of confidence in childbearing women.
Callister
Lynn Clark
LC
College of Nursing, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah 84602, USA. lynn_callister@byu.edu
Holt
Shelley Thacker
ST
Kuhre
Melody West
MW
D000328:Adult; D001294:Attitude to Health / Q000208:ethnology; D005260:Female; D006240:Happiness; D006801:Humans; D008149:Love; D009034:Mother-Child Relations; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology*; D009721:Nurse Midwives / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000523:psychology; D024802:Nurse's Role / Q000523:psychology; D009723:Nurse-Patient Relations; D015404:Nursing Methodology Research; D007744:Obstetric Labor Complications / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology; D036801:Parturition / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology*; D011209:Power, Psychological; D011247:Pregnancy; D036301:Qualitative Research; D020377:Self Efficacy; D029181:Spirituality; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014739:Victoria