Keywords
childbirth, Dutch, maternity nursing, birth, culture
Abstract
Purpose: To explore the lived experience of childbirth in Dutch women who had given birth at home in the Netherlands.
Methods: Qualitative study using audiotaped interviews with 14 women.
Results: Themes included the advantages of giving birth in the home, where the women felt more in control of their environment; the difficulty and normalcy of the pain associated with giving birth; the feelings of fulfillment and empowerment that come with childbirth and motherhood; and the importance of the supportive role of the midwife–caregiver.
Nursing Implications: Women in a culture different from that of the United States who gave birth at home felt fulfilled and empowered by the experience. These results can help U.S. nurses more fully understand the meaning of childbirth in a different culture and may help identify possible improvements in the design of care for women and newborns in the United States.
Original Publication Citation
Johnson, T., Callister, L. C., Freeborn, D., & Beckstrand, R. L. (2007). Dutch women’s perception of giving birth in the Netherlands. MCN: American Journal of Maternal Child Nursing, 32(3), 170-178.
BYU ScholarsArchive Citation
Johnson, Taralyn R.; Callister, Lynn Clark; Freeborn, Donna S.; Beckstrand, Renea L.; and Huender, Katinka, "Dutch Women's Perceptions of Childbirth in the Netherlands" (2007). Faculty Publications. 5304.
https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/facpub/5304
Document Type
Peer-Reviewed Article
Publication Date
2007-5
Permanent URL
http://hdl.lib.byu.edu/1877/8038
Publisher
The American Journal of Maternal/Child Nursing
Language
English
College
Nursing
Copyright Use Information
http://lib.byu.edu/about/copyright/