Based on ethnographic research regarding public policy and grassroots organizing for midwifery in Virginia, this article explores how medical discourses around appropriate health care practices intersect with state discourses about what practices are considered "respectable" versus "pathological" for its citizens. In recent legislative debates about the legalization of direct-entry midwifery, m...

Aim: To analyze the role of available health technologies and techniques in reducing the number of women dying during pregnancy and childbirth. Background: Health condition of women during pregnancy and childbirth is very sensitive. During this period, proper and timely care plays an important role in reducing maternal mortality. Design: Whitte more and Knafl’s framework for integrative reviews...

Perineal tears are one of the most common complications of vaginal births and may cause discomfort and pain long time after childbirth. Visual and digital examination of perineal tears is the most common way to assess and classify a perineal tear. Recent research indicates that many tears diagnosed are misclassified. The aim of this systematic literature review was to outline research that inve...

During the process of human childbirth, obstetric forceps delivery is a justified alternative to Caesarean section when normal vaginal delivery proves difficult or impossible. Currently, training of forceps interventions is done directly on patients due to the lack of realistic training facilities. The research presented in this paper demonstrates a first implementation of an obstetric forceps ...

Background: Around 20% of birthing women report high levels of childbirth fear. Fear potentially impacts women’s emotional health, preparation for birth, and birth outcomes. Evidence suggests that personal and external factors contribute to childbirth fear, however results vary. Aim: To identify pyscho-social factors associated with childbirth fear and possible antenatal predictors of childbirt...

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OBJECTIVE To study the associations of anxiety and depression with fear of childbirth. DESIGN A cross-sectional questionnaire study. SETTING Prenatal public healthcare in Norway. SAMPLE Pregnant women (n=1642) recruited during November 2008 until April 2010. METHODS Data were collected by a postal questionnaire at pregnancy week 32. Fear of childbirth was measured by the Wijma Delivery ...