The influences on women who choose publicly-funded home birth in Australia

Catling, C; Dahlen, H; Homer, CSE

The influences on women who choose publicly-funded home birth in Australia

Catling, C

Dahlen, H Homer, CSE

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Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: Midwifery, 2014, 30 (7), pp. 892 - 898
Issue Date:: 2014-01-01

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Catling, C https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7352-2879	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Dahlen, H	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Homer, CSE https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7454-3011	en_US
dc.date.available	2014-03-02	en_US
dc.date.issued	2014-01-01	en_US
dc.identifier.citation	Midwifery, 2014, 30 (7), pp. 892 - 898	en_US
dc.identifier.issn	0266-6138	en_US
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/32974
dc.description.abstract	Objective: to explore the influences on women who chose a publicly-funded home birth in one Australian state. Design: a constructivist grounded theory methodology was used. Setting: a publicly-funded home birth service located within a tertiary referral hospital in the southern suburbs of Sydney, Australia. Participants: data were collected though semi-structured interviews of 17 women who chose to have a publicly-funded home birth. Findings: six main categories emerged from the data. These were feeling independent, strong and confident, doing it my way, protection from hospital related activities, having a safety net, selective listening and telling, and engaging support. The core category was having faith in normal. This linked all the categories and was an overriding attitude towards themselves as women and the process of childbirth. The basic social process was validating the decision to have a home birth. Conclusion: women reported similar influences to other studies when choosing home birth. However, the women in this study were reassured by the publicly-funded system's 'safety net' and apparent seamless links with the hospital system. The flexibility of the service to permit women to change their minds to give birth in hospital, and essentially choose their birthplace at any time during pregnancy or labour was also appreciated. Implications for practice: women that choose a publicly-funded home birth service describe strong influences that led them to home birth within this model of care. Service managers and health professionals need to acknowledge the importance of place of birth choice for women. © 2014 Elsevier Ltd.	en_US
dc.relation.ispartof	Midwifery	en_US
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.1016/j.midw.2014.03.003	en_US
dc.subject.classification	Nursing	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Humans	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Home Childbirth	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Decision Making	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Choice Behavior	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Pregnancy	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Qualitative Research	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Adult	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Female	en_US
dc.title	The influences on women who choose publicly-funded home birth in Australia	en_US
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.citation.volume	7	en_US
utslib.citation.volume	30	en_US
utslib.for	111006 Midwifery	en_US
utslib.for	111708 Health and Community Services	en_US
utslib.for	1110 Nursing	en_US
utslib.for	1114 Paediatrics and Reproductive Medicine	en_US
utslib.for	1117 Public Health and Health Services	en_US
pubs.embargo.period	Not known	en_US
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/Midwifery
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Strength - CHSP - Health Services and Practice
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Strength - WHO CC
utslib.copyright.status	closed_access
pubs.issue	7	en_US
pubs.publication-status	Published	en_US
pubs.volume	30	en_US

Abstract:

Objective: to explore the influences on women who chose a publicly-funded home birth in one Australian state. Design: a constructivist grounded theory methodology was used. Setting: a publicly-funded home birth service located within a tertiary referral hospital in the southern suburbs of Sydney, Australia. Participants: data were collected though semi-structured interviews of 17 women who chose to have a publicly-funded home birth. Findings: six main categories emerged from the data. These were feeling independent, strong and confident, doing it my way, protection from hospital related activities, having a safety net, selective listening and telling, and engaging support. The core category was having faith in normal. This linked all the categories and was an overriding attitude towards themselves as women and the process of childbirth. The basic social process was validating the decision to have a home birth. Conclusion: women reported similar influences to other studies when choosing home birth. However, the women in this study were reassured by the publicly-funded system's 'safety net' and apparent seamless links with the hospital system. The flexibility of the service to permit women to change their minds to give birth in hospital, and essentially choose their birthplace at any time during pregnancy or labour was also appreciated. Implications for practice: women that choose a publicly-funded home birth service describe strong influences that led them to home birth within this model of care. Service managers and health professionals need to acknowledge the importance of place of birth choice for women. © 2014 Elsevier Ltd.

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

http://hdl.handle.net/10453/32974