title: Iranian Kurdish women's experiences of childbirth: A qualitative study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The experience of labor and birth, referred to as childbirth, is complex, multidimensional, and subjective, relating to both the outcome and the process that is experienced by an individual woman. The aim of this study was to describe the experience of childbirth among Kurdish women giving birth at Besat Hospital in Sanandaj, Iran.
  
  
  METHODS
  A qualitative study was conducted using phenomenological approach. Women eligible for the study were recruited from the postpartum ward. Inclusion criteria were being an Iranian Kurdish woman, being nulliparous, and having vaginal childbirth. Data collection was performed between 2010 and 2011. Women were interviewed by the first researcher 6-12 weeks after they had given birth to their first child.
  
  
  RESULTS
  All participants had spontaneous vaginal births without their husbands present. None of them received any analgesia or anesthesia during labor and birth. The findings are described under the following four themes: Feeling empowered, changing life, importance of being supported during labor, and the spiritual dimensions of giving birth.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Women communicate through telling stories and create meaning as they articulate their feelings about pivotal life events such as childbirth. The findings of this study provide a useful first step toward the identification of aspects of Kurdish women's experience of giving birth. The women in this study identified that the presence or absence of effective support had a significant effect on their experience of labor and birth. It is important for midwives and other professionals to understand the benefits of support given for women during childbirth.
authors.affiliation: Department of Midwifery, Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences, Sanandaj, Iran.
authors.forename: Roonak
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Shahoei
authors.affiliation: Department of Midwifery, Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences, Sanandaj, Iran.
authors.forename: Farangis
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Khosravy
authors.affiliation: Department of Midwifery, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Farzaneh
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Zaheri
authors.affiliation: Department of Midwifery, Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences, Sanandaj, Iran.
authors.forename: Lila
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Hasheminasab
authors.affiliation: Department of Midwifery, Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences, Sanandaj, Iran.
authors.forename: Fariba
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ranaei
authors.affiliation: Department of Midwifery, Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences, Sanandaj, Iran.
authors.forename: Kajal
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hesame
authors.affiliation: Department of Infertility Center of Besat Hospital, Sanandaj, Iran.
authors.forename: Faranak
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Shahoei
keywords: Childbirth; experience; phenomenology