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How a woman experiences birth is influenced by how she is treated, and who has power and control in the birthing environment. Focus on 'delivery' of an infant disregards the transformative event for the woman, with poorer physical and psychological outcomes. New evidence is needed to understand how to prevent trauma and improve maternal wellbeing. This paper presents a feminist methodology to view the lived experience of caesarean birth. Feminist birthing theories integrated with a phenomenological perspective provide insight for those working in maternity care and create a novel framework for researchers considering the position of women in a medicalised healthcare system. Feminist phenomenology with a theoretical feminist overlay refreshes the methodological framework for a new understanding of how this perinatal event impacts women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Birth satisfaction relates to women's perceptions of their childbirth experience, with importance placed on the midwife to improve standards of the intranatal care provided. With evaluating intranatal care in mind, this paper aims to educate midwives about one particular method of measuring women's experiences of labour, which involves using the valid and reliable Birth Satisfaction Scale-Revised (BSS-R). The BSS-R is a 10-item self-report valid and reliable measure, which is recommended by the International Consortium for Health Outcomes Measurement (ICHOM) as the 'method of choice' for evaluating women's 'birth experience'. Since the ICHOM began recommending the BSS-R as part of its pregnancy and childbirth standard set, the scale (at time of print) has been used in 39 countries and 134 sites around the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Following birth, some women report negative and traumatic feelings. There is relatively little research on women's perceptions of these emotions. It is important to understand why some women experience distress following labour. The work presented in this paper focuses on one aspect of a wider mixed methods research study. Aims: To explore reasons why some women may leave the birth experience with emotional distress. Method: A descriptive qualitative approach was used. A total of 16 semi-structured, qualitative interviews were undertaken. These were with women following birth, some of whom had attended a local birth reflections service. Thematic analysis was performed using typewritten transcripts. Findings: Three key themes were identified which illuminated the topic of women's subjective distress: 'giving birth as traumatic/horrific', 'lasting emotions linked to the birth process' and 'the impact of the health professional on women's experiences of giving birth'. As well as identifying how women are feeling following birth, this study has also highlighted how midwives can affect women's birth experience. It seems that trauma relating to the birth event may be mediated by professional behaviours and how supportive they are. Conclusion: Lack of support by care professionals was a key factor associated with a negative birth experience. Maternity services and education providers need to ensure optimal training for all healthcare professionals who provide care to women during labour and birth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]