Curtin University Homepage
  • Library
  • Help
    • Admin

    espace - Curtin’s institutional repository

    JavaScript is disabled for your browser. Some features of this site may not work without it.
    View Item 
    • espace Home
    • espace
    • Curtin Research Publications
    • View Item
    • espace Home
    • espace
    • Curtin Research Publications
    • View Item

    Participant experiences of mindfulness-based childbirth education: a qualitative study

    188772_69745_Participant_experiences_of_mindfulness.pdf (179.0Kb)
    Access Status
    Open access
    Authors
    Fisher, C.
    Hauck, Yvonne
    Bayes, Sara
    Byrne, J.
    Date
    2012
    Type
    Journal Article
    
    Metadata
    Show full item record
    Citation
    Fisher, Colleen and Hauck, Yvonne and Bayes, Sara and Byrne, Jean. 2012. Participant experiences of mindfulness-based childbirth education: a qualitative study. BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth. 12: 126.
    Source Title
    BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth
    DOI
    10.1186/1471-2393-12-126
    ISSN
    1471-2393
    Remarks

    This article is published under the Open Access publishing model and distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Please refer to the licence to obtain terms for any further reuse or distribution of this work.

    URI
    http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/3336
    Collection
    • Curtin Research Publications
    Abstract

    Background: Childbirth is an important transitional life event, but one in which many women are dissatisfied stemming in part from a sense that labour is something that happens to them rather than with them. Promoting maternal satisfaction with childbirth means equipping women with communication and decision making skills that will enhance their ability to feel involved in their labour. Additionally, traditional antenatal education does not necessarily prepare expectant mothers and their birth support partner adequately for birth. Mindfulness-based interventions appear to hold promise in addressing these issues. Mindfulness-based Child Birth Education (MBCE) was a pilot intervention combining skills-based antenatal education and Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction. Participant experiences of MBCE, both of expectant mothers and their birth support partners are the focus of this article. Methods: A generic qualitative approach was utilised for this study. Pregnant women between 18 and 28 weeks gestation, over 18 years of age, nulliparous with singleton pregnancies and not taking medication for a diagnosed mental illness or taking illicit drugs were eligible to undertake the MBCE program which was run in a metropolitan city in Australia. Focus groups with 12 mothers and seven birth support partners were undertaken approximately four months after the completion of MBCE. Audio recordings of the groups were transcribed verbatim and analysed thematically using the method of constant comparison by all four authors independently and consensus on analysis and interpretation arrived at through team meetings.Results: A sense of both ‘empowerment’ and ‘community’ were the essences of the experiences of MBCE both for mothers and their birth support partner and permeated the themes of ‘awakening my existing potential’ and ‘being in a community of like-minded parents’. Participants suggested that mindfulness techniques learned during MBCE facilitated their sense of control during birth, and the content and pedagogical approach of MBCE enabled them to be involved in decision making during the birth. The pedagogical approach also fostered a sense of community among participants which extended into the postnatal period. Conclusions: MBCE has the potential to empower women to become active participants in the birthing process, thus addressing common concerns regarding lack of control and satisfaction with labour and facilitate peer support into the postnatal period. Further education of health professionals may be needed to ensure that they respond positively to those women and birth support partners who remain active in decision making during birth.

    Related items

    Showing items related by title, author, creator and subject.

    • Effectiveness of a mindfulness-based childbirth education pilot study on maternal self-efficacy and fear of childbirth
      Byrne, J.; Hauck, Yvonne; Fisher, C.; Bayes, Sara; Schutze, R. (2013)
      Introduction: This pilot study tested the feasibility and effectiveness of using Mindfulness-Based Childbirth Education (MBCE), a novel integration of mindfulness meditation and skills-based childbirth education, for ...
    • Breastfeeding and perceptions of breast shape changes in Australian and Japanese women
      Inoue, Madoka (2012)
      This thesis examines infant feeding practices, including knowledge and attitudes towards breastfeeding, factors that influence the duration of breastfeeding, and breastfeeding outcomes in relation to postpartum women’s ...
    • Sexual function of women during the first year after childbirth: Effect of parity (giving birth after the 20th week of pregnancy), depression and relationship satisfaction
      Khajehei, Marjan (2013)
      The aim of the present study was to measure the effect of parity, relationship satisfaction and depression on the sexual function of postpartum women during the first year after childbirth. This was a cross-sectional ...
    Advanced search

    Browse

    Communities & CollectionsIssue DateAuthorTitleSubjectDocument TypeThis CollectionIssue DateAuthorTitleSubjectDocument Type

    My Account

    Admin

    Statistics

    Most Popular ItemsStatistics by CountryMost Popular Authors

    Follow Curtin

    • 
    • 
    • 
    • 
    • 

    CRICOS Provider Code: 00301JABN: 99 143 842 569TEQSA: PRV12158

    Copyright | Disclaimer | Privacy statement | Accessibility

    Curtin would like to pay respect to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander members of our community by acknowledging the traditional owners of the land on which the Perth campus is located, the Whadjuk people of the Nyungar Nation; and on our Kalgoorlie campus, the Wongutha people of the North-Eastern Goldfields.