Women’s Experiences of Decision-making and Beliefs in Relation to Planned Cesarean Section: A Survey Study

Despite decades of feminist efforts to educate the community about, and improve responses to, domestic violence, public attitudes towards domestic violence continue to misunderstand women’s experiences of violence. Underlying such responses is the stock standard question, ‘Why doesn’t she leave?’ This question points to a lack of understanding about the impacts and threat of violence from an abusive partner on women’s decisions to leave the relationship. Moreover, it places sole responsibility for ending the relationship squarely upon women, assuming women are presented with numerous opportunities to leave a violent relationship and erroneously assumes the violence will cease once they do leave. This study explores women’s experiences of separating from an abusive, male partner through women’s narratives (n = 12) in Victoria, Australia. Findings reveal that fear was a complex influencing factor impacting upon women’s decision-making throughout the leaving process. The findings show that women seek to exercise agency within the context of their abusers’ coercively controlling tactics by strategically attempting to manage the constraints placed on their decision-making and partner’s repeated attempts to reassert dominance and control.

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Exploring women’s experiences of participation in shared decision-making during childbirth: a qualitative study at a reference hospital in Spain

BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth ◽

10.1186/s12884-021-04070-3 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

María López-Toribio ◽

Paulina Bravo ◽

Anna Llupià

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

Qualitative Study ◽

Shared Decision Making ◽

Health Professionals ◽

Shared Decision ◽

Women’S Experiences ◽

Birth Plan ◽

Women's Experiences ◽

Women's Participation ◽

Reference Hospital

Abstract Background Women’s engagement in healthcare decision-making during childbirth has been increasingly emphasised as a priority in maternity care, since it increases satisfaction with the childbirth experience and provides health benefits for women and newborns. The birth plan was developed as a tool to facilitate communication between health professionals and women in Spain, but their value in routine practice has been questioned. Besides, little is known about women’s experiences of participation in decision-making in the Spanish context. Thus, this study aimed to explore women’s experiences of participation in shared decision-making during hospital childbirth. Methods An exploratory qualitative study using focus groups was carried out in one maternity unit of a large reference hospital in Barcelona, Spain. Participants were first-time mothers aged 18 years or older who had had a live birth at the same hospital in the previous 12 months. Data collected were transcribed verbatim and analysed using a six-phase inductive thematic analysis process. Results Twenty-three women participated in three focus groups. Three major themes emerged from the data: “Women’s low participation in shared decision-making”, “Lack of information provision for shared decision-making”, and “Suggestions to improve women’s participation in shared decision-making”. The women who were willing to take an active role in decision-making encountered barriers to achieving this and some women did not feel prepared to do so. The birth plan was experienced as a deficient method to promote women’s participation, as health professionals did not use them. Participants described the information given as insufficient and not offered at a timely or useful point where it could aid their decision-making. Potential improvements identified that could promote women’s participation were having a mutually respectful relationship with their providers, the support of partners and other members of the family and receiving continuity of a coordinated and personalised perinatal care. Conclusion Enhancing women’s involvement in shared decision-making requires the acquisition of skills by health professionals and women. The development and implementation of interventions that encompass a training programme for health professionals and women, accompanied by an effective tool to promote women’s participation in shared decision-making during childbirth, is highly recommended.

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Somaliland women’s perception of stillbirth - a descriptive survey study

10.36368/shaj.v1i1.259 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Mari-Cristin Malm ◽

Fatumo Osman ◽

A. Ahmed Ibrahim ◽

H. Farah Hasan ◽

Kerstin Erlandsson ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Health Care Providers ◽

Psychosocial Support ◽

Personal Information ◽

Post Partum ◽

Survey Study ◽

Care Providers ◽

Women’S Experiences ◽

Women's Experiences ◽

Study Results

Background: Somali women, not only those living in Somaliland but also those living abroad as asylum seekers and refugees, are highly vulnerable in terms of perinatal health outcomes. Respectful and supportive care is critical for all women when stillbirth occurs and improving bereavement care and reducing the stigma that surrounds stillbirth are global priorities. Culturally- and context-specific approaches that build on an understanding of the needs of women giving birth to a stillborn baby, no matter where or why, are required. Objective: This study aims to investigate and analyze Somali women’s experiences of stillbirth, including their perceived reasons for losing their unborn baby, the premonitions they had before giving birth and their experiences of psychosocial support from healthcare professionals and relatives. Methods: A descriptive retrospective study was conducted at the Borama regional hospital in Somaliland. A study-specific questionnaire was developed that gathered personal information and data on topics related to women’s experiences of stillbirth. Women who had either experienced a stillbirth at the hospital or had been referred there after a stillbirth 2015 were approached and 75 women agreed to participate in the study. Results: Most of the women were multiparas and had experienced a previous stillbirth. Before having it confirmed that their baby was no longer alive most of the woman reported that they had felt no fetal movements and had a premonition that something was wrong. The most common perceived cause of stillbirth that the women reported was prolonged labour followed by a ‘big baby’. Thirty-three women (44%) felt it was important to know the cause of the stillbirth and eight reported feeling angry or disappointed (11 %) with the health care providers who assisted them during labour, birth, or post-partum, although 41 women (55%) were satisfied with their treatment. A third of the women blamed themselves for their stillbirth and a majority spoke to others about it. Conclusions: Our results show that women in Somaliland share similar perceptions of stillbirth as women in high income countries. This raises important implications for antenatal care and preventive interventions and stressed the need to respond to women’s concerns regardless of background, context or setting. A maternal healthcare approach that is equal in its global application must be established to enable health care providers to give relevant information and care both in the cultural setting of Somaliland and elsewhere in the world where Somali-born women live and give birth.

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