title: Swedish women's interest in models of midwifery care - Time to consider the system? A prospective longitudinal survey.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Sweden has an international reputation for offering high quality maternity care, although models that provide continuity of care are rare. The aim was to explore women's interest in models of care such as continuity with the same midwife, homebirth and birth center care.
  
  
  METHODS
  A prospective longitudinal survey where 758 women's interest in models such as having the same midwife throughout antenatal, intrapartum and postpartum care, homebirth with a known midwife, and birth center care were investigated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Approximately 50% wanted continuity of care with the same midwife throughout pregnancy, birth and the postpartum period. Few participants were interested in birth center care or home birth. Fear of giving birth was associated with a preference for continuity with midwife.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Continuity with the same midwife could be of certain importance to women with childbirth fear. Models that offer continuity of care with one or two midwives are safe, cost-effective and enhance the chance of having a normal birth, a positive birth experience and possibly reduce fear of birth. The evidence is now overwhelming that all women should have maternity care delivered in this way.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nursing, Mid Sweden University, Sundsvall, Sweden; Department of Women's and Children's Health, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden. Electronic address: ingegerd.hildingsson@kbh.uu.se.
authors.forename: Ingegerd
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Hildingsson
authors.affiliation: Department of Nursing, Mid Sweden University, Sundsvall, Sweden.
authors.forename: Annika
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Karlström
authors.affiliation: Department of Women's and Children's Health, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden; Department of Women's and Children's Health, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden; Northeast Health Wangaratta, Education and Research Unit, Melbourne Medical School, Rural Health Academic Centre, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.
authors.forename: Helen
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Haines
authors.affiliation: Department of Women's and Children's Health, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden; Department of Clinical Science and Education, Karolinska Institutet, Södersjukhuset, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Margareta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Johansson
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001294:Attitude to Health; D003266:Continuity of Patient Care; D036861:Delivery, Obstetric; D005239:Fear; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008880:Midwifery; D016294:Models, Nursing; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology*; D036801:Parturition; D011247:Pregnancy; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013548:Sweden
keywords: Birth center care; Continuity; Fear of birth; Homebirth; Midwifery