The First Baby Study: What women would like to have known about first childbirth. A mixed-methods study.

Levett, KM; Sutcliffe, KL; Vanderlaan, J; Kjerulff, KH

The First Baby Study: What women would like to have known about first childbirth. A mixed-methods study.

Levett, KM Sutcliffe, KL Vanderlaan, J Kjerulff, KH

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Publisher:: Wiley
Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: Birth, 2024, 51, (4), pp. 795-805
Issue Date:: 2024-12

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Levett, KM
dc.contributor.author	Sutcliffe, KL
dc.contributor.author	Vanderlaan, J
dc.contributor.author	Kjerulff, KH
dc.date.accessioned	2025-01-14T00:12:49Z
dc.date.available	2024-07-24
dc.date.available	2025-01-14T00:12:49Z
dc.date.issued	2024-12
dc.identifier.citation	Birth, 2024, 51, (4), pp. 795-805
dc.identifier.issn	0730-7659
dc.identifier.issn	1523-536X
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/183415
dc.description.abstract	BACKGROUND: Although prenatal care providers aim to prepare women for first childbirth, little research has explored retrospectively what birthing people would like to have known before first childbirth. AIM: To describe women's reports of what they would like to have known before first childbirth but feel they were not told. METHODS: This is a secondary analysis of the First Baby Study, a large prospective cohort study conducted in Pennsylvania, USA. Telephone interviews were conducted with 3006 women 1 month after their first childbirth. Women were first asked: "Was there anything that you would have liked to have known before your delivery that you were not told?". If "yes" they were asked a second question: "Please tell me what you would have liked to have known before your delivery". ANALYSIS: A convergent mixed-methods analysis including descriptive analytics to compare characteristics of women by answers to the first question, and qualitative content analysis of women's open-ended answers to the second question. FINDINGS: A total of 441 women (14.7%) reported there was something they would like to have known before their first childbirth. Women described that communication with care providers was their main concern. They would have liked a better understanding of their options before birth, more agency in decision-making, and more information about the topics of their body, their birth, their baby, and what to expect beyond birth. CONCLUSIONS: Results highlight important topics for childbirth education, and the impact of gaps in shared decision-making, patient-provider communication, and supportive care practices for first childbirth, especially where women have identified vulnerabilities.
dc.format	Print-Electronic
dc.language	eng
dc.publisher	Wiley
dc.relation.ispartof	Birth
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.1111/birt.12854
dc.rights	info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
dc.subject	11 Medical and Health Sciences
dc.subject.classification	Obstetrics & Reproductive Medicine
dc.subject.classification	3213 Paediatrics
dc.subject.classification	4204 Midwifery
dc.subject.classification	4205 Nursing
dc.subject.mesh	Humans
dc.subject.mesh	Female
dc.subject.mesh	Pregnancy
dc.subject.mesh	Adult
dc.subject.mesh	Parturition
dc.subject.mesh	Pennsylvania
dc.subject.mesh	Prospective Studies
dc.subject.mesh	Prenatal Care
dc.subject.mesh	Young Adult
dc.subject.mesh	Qualitative Research
dc.subject.mesh	Truth Disclosure
dc.subject.mesh	Interviews as Topic
dc.subject.mesh	Delivery, Obstetric
dc.subject.mesh	Humans
dc.subject.mesh	Prenatal Care
dc.subject.mesh	Delivery, Obstetric
dc.subject.mesh	Prospective Studies
dc.subject.mesh	Truth Disclosure
dc.subject.mesh	Pregnancy
dc.subject.mesh	Parturition
dc.subject.mesh	Qualitative Research
dc.subject.mesh	Adult
dc.subject.mesh	Pennsylvania
dc.subject.mesh	Female
dc.subject.mesh	Interviews as Topic
dc.subject.mesh	Young Adult
dc.subject.mesh	Humans
dc.subject.mesh	Female
dc.subject.mesh	Pregnancy
dc.subject.mesh	Adult
dc.subject.mesh	Parturition
dc.subject.mesh	Pennsylvania
dc.subject.mesh	Prospective Studies
dc.subject.mesh	Prenatal Care
dc.subject.mesh	Young Adult
dc.subject.mesh	Qualitative Research
dc.subject.mesh	Truth Disclosure
dc.subject.mesh	Interviews as Topic
dc.subject.mesh	Delivery, Obstetric
dc.title	The First Baby Study: What women would like to have known about first childbirth. A mixed-methods study.
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.citation.volume	51
utslib.location.activity	United States
utslib.for	11 Medical and Health Sciences
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Health
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Health/School of Nursing and Midwifery
utslib.copyright.status	open_access	*
dc.rights.license	This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0). To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
dc.date.updated	2025-01-14T00:12:47Z
pubs.issue	4
pubs.publication-status	Published
pubs.volume	51
utslib.citation.issue	4

Abstract:

BACKGROUND: Although prenatal care providers aim to prepare women for first childbirth, little research has explored retrospectively what birthing people would like to have known before first childbirth. AIM: To describe women's reports of what they would like to have known before first childbirth but feel they were not told. METHODS: This is a secondary analysis of the First Baby Study, a large prospective cohort study conducted in Pennsylvania, USA. Telephone interviews were conducted with 3006 women 1 month after their first childbirth. Women were first asked: "Was there anything that you would have liked to have known before your delivery that you were not told?". If "yes" they were asked a second question: "Please tell me what you would have liked to have known before your delivery". ANALYSIS: A convergent mixed-methods analysis including descriptive analytics to compare characteristics of women by answers to the first question, and qualitative content analysis of women's open-ended answers to the second question. FINDINGS: A total of 441 women (14.7%) reported there was something they would like to have known before their first childbirth. Women described that communication with care providers was their main concern. They would have liked a better understanding of their options before birth, more agency in decision-making, and more information about the topics of their body, their birth, their baby, and what to expect beyond birth. CONCLUSIONS: Results highlight important topics for childbirth education, and the impact of gaps in shared decision-making, patient-provider communication, and supportive care practices for first childbirth, especially where women have identified vulnerabilities.

Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item:

http://hdl.handle.net/10453/183415