Danish women's experiences of the rebozo technique during labour: A qualitative explorative study.
OBJECTIVE
The study aimed to explore women's experiences of the rebozo technique during labour.


METHODS
This was a qualitative study based on individual telephone interviews, analysed by means of qualitative content analysis and inspired by interpretive description. 17 participants were recruited from two different-sized Danish hospitals and identified by applying a purposeful sample strategy.


RESULTS
The main theme expressed the women's overall experience with the rebozo: "Joined movements in a harmless effort towards a natural birth". The women experienced that the technique created bodily sensations, which reduced their pain, and furthermore they expressed that it interrelated the labour process and produced mutual involvement and psychological support from the midwife and the women's partner. The rebozo technique was in most situations carried out because the midwife suspected a foetus malposition.


CONCLUSIONS
The experiences of the rebozo technique were overall positive and both of a physical and psychological nature. The results indicate that health professionals should view rebozo as an easy accessible clinical tool with high user acceptance and possible positive psychological and clinical implications. The study contributes with a deeper and more nuanced understanding of a topic where only limited knowledge exists, however, efficacy studies are warranted.
The Research Unit Women's and Children's Health, The Juliane Marie Centre for Women, Children and Reproduction, Copenhagen University Hospital, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark. Electronic address: mettelangeland@hotmail.com.
Mette Langeland
ML
Iversen
The University Hospitals' Centre for Health Research (UCSF), Copenhagen University Hospital, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark; Department of Public Health, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Julie
J
Midtgaard
Department of Health Science, Faculty of Medicine, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.
Maria
M
Ekelin
The Research Unit Women's and Children's Health, The Juliane Marie Centre for Women, Children and Reproduction, Copenhagen University Hospital, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark; Department of Health Science, Faculty of Medicine, Lund University, Lund, Sweden; Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark; Department of Obstetrics, Copenhagen University Hospital, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Hanne Kristine
HK
Hegaard
D000328:Adult; D000529:Complementary Therapies; D003718:Denmark; D005260:Female; D006761:Hospitals; D006801:Humans; D048949:Labor Pain / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D007746:Labor Presentation; D007743:Labor, Obstetric / Q000523:psychology; D008880:Midwifery / Q000379:methods*; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011247:Pregnancy; D036301:Qualitative Research
Childbirth; Midwife; Nonpharmacological; Pain management; Qualitative; Rebozo