title: The best of both worlds--parents' motivations for using an alongside birth centre from an ethnographic study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  An ethnographic study was undertaken in a birth centre to explore the model of care provided there from the perspectives of midwives and parents.
  
  
  METHODS
  A five birthing-room, alongside, inner-city, birth centre in England, situated one floor below the hospital labour ward, separately staffed by purposively recruited midwives.
  
  
  METHODS
  Around 114 hours were spent at the birth centre observing antenatal, intrapartum and postnatal care; 11 in-depth interviews were recorded with parents after their baby's birth (four with women; seven with women and men together), including three interviews with women who transferred to the labour ward, and 11 with staff (nine midwives and two maternity assistants).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Most women and men using the birth centre perceived it as offering the 'best of both worlds' based on its proximity to and separation from the labour ward. It seemed to offer a combination of biopsychosocial safety, made evident by the calm, welcoming atmosphere, the facilities, engaging, respectful care from known midwives and a clear commitment to normal birth, and obstetric safety particularly because of its close proximity to the labour ward.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This alongside birth centre provided a social model of care and appealed strongly to a group of parents; similar birth centres should be widely available throughout the NHS.
authors.affiliation: Head of Research and Information, NCT, Oldham Terrace, London W3 6NH, UK.
authors.forename: Mary
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Newburn
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016550:Birthing Centers; D004739:England; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007743:Labor, Obstetric / Q000523:psychology*; D008297:Male; D009042:Motivation; D009723:Nurse-Patient Relations; D015404:Nursing Methodology Research; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011247:Pregnancy; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome / Q000523:psychology*; D012931:Social Environment; D012944:Social Support; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult