Women experienced communion, strength, and understanding of their partners' feelings by having their partners present at the birth of their babies
Question How do women experience the presence of their partners at the birth of their babies?
Design
Phenomenology.
Setting
Healthcare centres, hospitals, and women's homes in Finland.
Patients
40 Finnish women who had given birth to 1–6 children. Women had different educational backgrounds, ages, types of housing, and occupations. A woman's partner was defined as the man who was present at childbirth and the alleged father of the child. 9 women were followed up for 2.5 years.
Methods
Data were obtained before, during, and after delivery by observations of lived events and through 80 interviews. Interviews lasted 20–75 minutes, used open ended questions, and addressed the women's experiences of health and care during the pregnancy and delivery, and after childbirth. Women were encouraged to talk freely about their childbirth and life experiences. Data were …
