OBJECTIVE: To describe the characteristics of pregnant women who wish to have as natural a birth as possible without analgesics and without intervention. STUDY DESIGN: National cohort study. SETTING: Norwegian Institute of Public Health. POPULATION: 55,859 pregnant women booked for antenatal care in Norway 1999-2007. METHODS: Data on women's interest in natural birth and a set of possible predictors were retrieved from a questionnaire completed at the 30th week of pregnancy and linked to the Medical Birth Registry of Norway. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Natural birth and the characteristics of pregnant women with such preferences. RESULTS: Interest in natural childbirth was consistently expressed by 72%. Positive experience from previous pregnancies, first birth or third or later birth, no fear of giving birth, and reporting positive intra-psychic phenomena are significantly associated with the wish for natural birth. CONCLUSIONS: Positive experiences from previous childbirths and no fear of giving birth are the strongest factors associated with a wish for as natural birth as possible and should be taken into consideration in public health.
OBJECTIVE: To describe the characteristics of pregnant women who wish to have as natural a birth as possible without analgesics and without intervention. STUDY DESIGN: National cohort study. SETTING: Norwegian Institute of Public Health. POPULATION: 55,859 pregnant women booked for antenatal care in Norway 1999-2007. METHODS: Data on women's interest in natural birth and a set of possible predictors were retrieved from a questionnaire completed at the 30th week of pregnancy and linked to the Medical Birth Registry of Norway. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Natural birth and the characteristics of pregnant women with such preferences. RESULTS: Interest in natural childbirth was consistently expressed by 72%. Positive experience from previous pregnancies, first birth or third or later birth, no fear of giving birth, and reporting positive intra-psychic phenomena are significantly associated with the wish for natural birth. CONCLUSIONS: Positive experiences from previous childbirths and no fear of giving birth are the strongest factors associated with a wish for as natural birth as possible and should be taken into consideration in public health.
Authors: Francisco Javier Fernández-Carrasco; Gustavo Adolfo Silva-Muñoz; Juana María Vázquez-Lara; Juan Gómez-Salgado; Juan Jesús García-Iglesias; Luciano Rodríguez-Díaz Journal: Healthcare (Basel) Date: 2022-04-13