title: Young women's experiences as consumers of maternity care in Queensland.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Young motherhood is commonly associated with vulnerabilities, stereotyping of young women's behavior, and poor outcomes for them and their children. The objective was to understand how maternity care is experienced by this group in the transition to parenthood.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data from a large-scale 2010 survey of women's experience of maternity care were analyzed using qualitative methods with open text responses.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Overall, 7,193 women responded to the survey: 237 were aged 20 years or less. Most (83%) of these young women provided open text responses. The main themes were: "being a consumer," "the quality of care," "needing support," and "pride in parenthood" whereas subthemes included "being young" and "how staff made me feel," "testimonials for staff," "not being left," and "it is all worthwhile."
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Many young women responding described a positive experience. For many first-time mothers this feeling marked a change in their identity. Nevertheless, staff perceptions and attitudes affected how they saw themselves and what they took away from their experience of maternity care. A key message for other women is offered, supporting and reinforcing their role as active and involved consumers who, in engaging with services, have to stand up for themselves and make their needs and wishes known.
authors.affiliation: Policy Research Unit for Maternal Health and Care, National Perinatal and Epidemiological Unit, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK; Queensland Centre for Mothers & Babies, School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Qld, Australia.
authors.forename: Maggie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Redshaw
authors.forename: Yvette D
authors.initials: YD
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.forename: Julie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hennegan
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D001294:Attitude to Health; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008427:Maternal Health Services; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology*; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011247:Pregnancy; D011369:Professional-Patient Relations; D036301:Qualitative Research; D011787:Quality of Health Care; D011793:Queensland; D057545:Social Stigma; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: maternity services; perceptions of care; young mothers