OBJECTIVE To assess the association between fear of childbirth and duration of labour. DESIGN A prospective study of women from 32 weeks of gestation through to delivery. SETTING Akershus University Hospital, Norway. POPULATION A total of 2206 pregnant women with a singleton pregnancy and intended vaginal delivery during the period 2008-10. METHODS Fear of childbirth was assessed by the...

Compared to vaginal deliveries, surgical (cesarean) deliveries are associated with more complications, longer recovery, lower satisfaction, and greater risk of postpartum mood disturbances. Despite a steep rise in rates of surgical delivery, there have been few theoretically founded investigations of the mechanisms by which delivery method has an effect on psychosocial outcome. We tested a mode...

BACKGROUND Considerable debate surrounds the influence media have on first-time pregnant women. Much of the academic literature discusses the influence of (reality) television, which often portrays birth as risky, dramatic and painful and there is evidence that this has a negative effect on childbirth in society, through the increasing anticipation of negative outcomes. It is suggested that wom...

OBJECTIVE To investigate Swedish women's level of antenatal fear of childbirth at various gestational ages, and factors associated with intense fear and with preference for cesarean section. DESIGN A cross-sectional study. SETTING All antenatal clinics in four geographical areas. SAMPLE Thousand six hundred and thirty-five pregnant women at various gestational ages recruited during Septem...

To analyse the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on women experiencing motherhood in areas perception, adaptation and assessment situation. Material method: A qualitative study was conducted using semi-structured interviews. The interviews were a group 25 aged 22-41 who gave birth during pandemic. Most respondents live city with more than 500,000 inhabitants, have higher education. In most cases, res...

Preparation for birthing has focused primarily on Caucasian women. No studies have explored African American women's birth preparation. From the perceptions of 12 African American maternity health-care providers, this study elicited perceptions of the ways in which pregnant African American women prepare for childbirth. Focus group participants answered seven semistructured questions. Four them...

Childbirth is seen as a medical event, and pregnancy, a time when parents-to-be are in need of advice. This article provides a discursive analysis of how such advice is given in antenatal classes. Using audio-recorded data from National Childbirth Trust (NCT) antenatal classes, we analyse how class leaders talk to class members about pregnancy, childbirth and infant care. We identify a pattern ...