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There has been substantial interest in US cesarean rates, which increased from 5% of deliveries in the 1970s to nearly one-third of births by the mid-2000s. Explanations typically emphasize individual risk factors (e.g., advanced maternal age, increased BMI, and greater desire for control over delivery) of women giving birth, or address institutional factors, such as the medicalization of childbirth and the culture of liability leading physicians to practice defensive medicine. We focus here on another non-medical explanation – childbirth education (CBE). CBE is an important, underexplored mechanism that can shape women’s expectations about labor and birth and potentially lead them to expect, or desire, a cesarean delivery as a normalized outcome. We analyze data from three waves (2002, 2006, 2013) of the Listening to Mothers national survey on US women’s childbearing experiences (n = 3,985). Using logistic regression analysis, we examined both mode of delivery (vaginal versus cesarean), and attitudes about future request for elective cesarean among both primiparous and multiparous women. Despite previous research suggesting that CBE increased the likelihood of vaginal delivery, we find that CBE attendance was not associated with likelihood of vaginal delivery among either primiparous or multiparous women. However, both primiparous and multiparous women who attended CBE classes were significantly more likely to say they would request a future, elective cesarean. Furthermore, these effects were in the opposite direction of effects for natural birth attitudes. Our findings suggest that contemporary CBE classes may be a form of “anticipatory socialization”, potentially priming women’s acceptance of medicalized childbirth.

Maternal identity (MI) is the attainment of maternal role adaptation. Though the role of the motherhood is expected to be achieved, teenagers, who are still developing their personal identity, do not always clearly identify or align with their role of motherhood. The purpose of this paper is to determine the structural relationship among a set of variables, infant temperament (IT), strain (ST), social support (SS), self-esteem (SE) and balanced family functioning (BF) influencing MI and to test the model using the empirical data.

A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 353 primiparous Thai teenagers of infants aged 4–12 months. A self-administered questionnaire comprised six scales with Cronbach’s α coefficients ranging from 0.81 to 0.93. The structural equation modeling method was employed to test the validity of the model undertaken using Mplus Software.

The model fit the empirical data well (χ²/df=2.17, CFI=0.92, TLI=0.91, RMSEA=0.06, SRMR=0.05). The MI could explain 62 percent of the variance through its set of variables. Three antecedents, i.e. IT, ST and SS, had a direct effect while SE and BF had an indirect effect on MI. The IT had the highest total effect on the MI, while ST was a mediator among other study antecedences concerning the MI.

The model adequately fit the data among teenage mothers one-year postpartum. Promoting MI should strongly diminish strain and encourage positively perceived infant temperament, self-esteem, social support and balanced family functioning.

The aim of this study is to describe how Swedish women, planned for vaginal birth, perceive the quality of intrapartal care that they receive and the subjective importance they ascribe to their care.

The study was nested within a Swedish national survey of intrapartal care. The women whose care was investigated were invited to participate in the current study by the midwife who attended the birth. A total of 1,173 women agreed to answer a questionnaire about “quality of general care” and “quality of specific intrapartal care” at two months postpartum. The questions were posed in two ways, the perceived reality (PR) of care given and the subjective importance (SI) the women ascribed to this care.

A total of 739 women (63 percent) returned their questionnaires. Scores for PR and SI for “quality of general care“ were in the main high (PR range 2.98‐3.81; SI range 2.85‐3.85, out of a possible 4) and also for “quality of specific intrapartal care” (PR range 3.15‐3.86; SI range 3.23‐3.86, out of a possible 4). A total of 12 items showed statistically significantly higher scores for SI than for PR. Of the women, 81 percent agreed fully or mostly that the birth of their child was a positive experience.

The way in which women answer questions about intrapartal care reflects the way in which the questions are posed. This study therefore has asked not only how care was perceived but also what importance individual women ascribed to different areas of their care. The questionnaire used in this study allows identification of areas where “what is, could be better”.

Anaemia during pregnancy is an important contributor to maternal mortality and morbidity in Kenya. A prospective study was conducted in Kisumu District, a region characterized by high incidences of maternal and infant mortality, to determine the levels and prevalence of maternal complications. Four health facilities were purposely selected to act as sentinel centres from urban and rural clusters. All the obstetric‐related cases were recorded between January and July 1997, and the outcomes of the pregnancies were recorded. Details on the respondents socioeconomic, demographic, biomedical and environment characteristics were also recorded. A total of 1,455 cases were recorded, of which 59 percent experienced obstetric‐related complications. Of those with complications, 22 percent were suffering from severe anaemia. Among other things, the study reveals that anaemia prevalence is determined by maternal and environmental factors. These include poor pregnancy care, illness during pregnancy, socioeconomic conditions of the mother and the sanitary conditions of the household. Policy measures aimed at managing anaemia should seek to address all these factors.

The purpose of this study is to explore the information behaviours of socioeconomically disadvantaged young first-time mothers, an understudied and at-risk group (health and well-being).

Questionnaire and semi-structured interviews with 39 young mothers (aged up to 25 years of age) from UK areas of multiple deprivations.

Our participants' preferred sources of information are interpersonal sources with which they have formed close supportive relationships. Support groups are important sources of interpersonal connection, but young mothers are reluctant to attend groups involving older mothers. With the exception of support group staff and health visitors, institutional and professional information sources are used very little. Societal stigma is a significant issue influencing behaviours, but issues of institutional bureaucracy, information overload, conflicting information and practical access are also reported. A further key factor influencing behaviour is self-identity.

Findings should not be considered representative of young mothers as a whole as not all young mothers are disadvantaged. As our participants identified as ethnically white, findings also cannot speak to the additional barriers experienced by women of colour. Further studies with further population groups are recommended. More broadly, further studies exploring the influence of self-identity on people's information behaviours are also recommended.

Findings provide practical direction for health and welfare services, and public libraries, to better support young mothers.

Findings contribute to conceptual and practical understanding of information poverty in the socio-ecological context. Findings also evidence the role of self-identity in shaping people's information behaviours.

Fear of birth may cause perinatal complication, increased risk of intervention and need for analgesia, delayed mother–infant attachment process and deterioration of spouse relationship. The purpose of this study was to determine the affecting factors and childbirth fears of Turkish pregnant women.

This is a descriptive research type. The sample of this study consisted of 78 pregnant women who met the inclusion criteria and agreed to participate in this study. This study was carried out in a family health center and university hospital in a city in Turkey. Data were collected with Personal Information Form and Wijma Expectancy/Experience Scale-A Version (W-DEQ A).

The mean scores of pregnant women from W-DEQ A version were 75.60 ± 9.48. In 65.4% of pregnant women, fear of severe birth, 20.5% fear of clinical birth and 14.1% of children had a fear of moderate birth. W-DEQ A version, the third trimester, unplanned pregnancies, lack of knowledge of the level of inadequate birth and more than eight pregnancies in pregnancy, the total score of pregnant women was found to be higher (p < 0.05).

The limitation of this study is its small sample size. Further studies with larger sample sizes are needed.

It was determined that one-fifth of the sample group experienced birth fear at the clinical level and childbirth fear level is associated with unplanned pregnancies, lack of knowledge. In antenatal period, the pregnant woman should be encouraged to express her feelings and thoughts about the labor and give information about the labor.

Cognitive and behavioral education programs can be structured to cope with fear of birth for pregnant women at risk.

This research is original. This study presents data on Turkish women. The data can also be used to evaluate intercultural differences.

The aim of this study was to explore the reasons for preferring home as a birth delivery place and identify the socio-economic and cultural factors influencing the choice of delivery place in rural Bangladesh.

The data for the study come from a community-based cross-sectional study conducted among 464 mothers in a rural sub-district of Bangladesh in 2019. Respondents were selected randomly from the frame listing all mothers with inclusion criteria, using a two-stage cluster sampling design. Data were collected through a face-to-face interview. Both descriptive and inferential statistics and logistic regression models were used for data analysis.

The results indicate a very high rate (58%) of home delivery. About 20% mothers never received ANC visit. Preference for home delivery was high (63%). Mothers with no education, aged 30 and above, multi-parity, low wealth status, lack of knowledge about institutional delivery, no or <4 ANC visits, received no advice about the delivery place, no pregnancy complications, decision about health care, and prior plan for home delivery were identified as significant predictors of home delivery. Cost of services, cultural practices and attitude towards health facility, lack of a female delivery assistant, perceived fear of caesarian section, poor quality of services, and lack of knowledge about maternity services appeared as important barriers for institutional delivery.

Based on primary data from a rural area, this study would help understand reasons and factors affecting home delivery and developing an appropriate strategy for the improvement of institutional delivery and maternity care services in Bangladesh.

Purpose – Women are more susceptible to specific health risks such as breast cancer, cervical cancer, and risk during pregnancy and childbirth. These can affect women’s well-being and also need to be managed to avoid financial loss. Takaful operators in Malaysia have been offering special takaful products for women. Women can mitigate exposure to these risks through insurance. This study examines the risks faced by Malaysian women and the coverage they are offered by Islamic insurance.

Methodology/approach – The study used a qualitative methodology involving documentary evidence and interviews with four Islamic insurance agents and four product development officers from four Islamic insurance providers in Malaysia.

Findings – Among the risks faced by women are female-specific illnesses, the cost of expensive treatments, crime-related accidents or loss, social or career risks and privatisation policy. Due to these risks, women are in need of female-specific takaful products to reduce risk and protect themselves.

Originality/value – Specific takaful products for women are crucial to protect them from risks, improving their well-being and increasing their participation in the nation’s economic and social development.

The purpose of this study was to examine adverse outcomes associated with cesarean deliveries and to assess potential confounding factors.

A hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted from September 1−30, 2019 using mixed methods of data collection. Multistage sampling was used to draw the eligible study participants. The sample size was calculated using the single population proportion formula. A systematic random sampling technique was used to draw the sample size. 180 original medical records were excluded because of having missed information, leaving 1,618 women as the study population. We used the questionnaire adapted from the Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey to collect quantitative data and analyzed using SPSS version 22, while thematic analysis for qualitative measures was used to generate themes regarding associated perspectives of participants from a community.

More than 383 women delivered by cesarean section. 20% of the mothers with the mean age at birth of 26.1 ± 4.8 experienced adverse outcomes. Adjusted odds ratio (AOR) was used to measure the association of determinants and was 2.95 (95% CI 1.19–7.29) for nonuse of antenatal care, 3.18 (95% CI 1.43–6.94) for nonuse of prophylaxis, 4.28 (95% CI 1.58−11.61) for history of medical illness and 7.09 (95% CI 1.19−45.59) for use of substandard operation set up compared with their counterparts.

Strengths of the study include the finding of the study are reliably reported in mixed study methods examining hospital-based institutional and personal risk factors and exploring the whole community's perspectives. However, the important limitations of the study indicate that the study poses a number of challenges related to studying design, therefore there was not sufficient evidence of causality to draw conclusions from the findings. In addition, the study was conducted at a single hospital so that it is not convenient to generalize the findings of the study for setting different in social and economic status.

Based on the findings, attention has been drawn to healthcare personnel to provide training and consultation services for pregnant women and for health care administration to ensure standard set up for operation.

The purpose of this research was to verify the changes in the body weight of breastfeeding women, using the anthropometric and the bioelectrical impedance (BIA) methods. The sample was formed by 30 women who were exclusively breastfeeding their children, with an average age of 27.9±4.4 years old, followed up during four appointments in a public hospital of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The anthropometric data showed a significant reduction of body weight during the studied period. Regarding skinfolds, we observed a greater loss in the lower part of the abdominal region, in the suprailiac region and in the thigh. The same occurred to the body circumferences. Resistance values remained unaltered, thus indicating that the total body water content was preserved. We concluded that the significant reduction of body weight was mainly due to the mobilization of the fat tissue, being unrelated to changes in the body water content. In addition, we verified how important it is to associate different methods to assess the change of body weight during breastfeeding.