Women on the move: A search for preferred birth services

Women and midwives travel long distances, or abroad, to receive or provide birth services. Travel for birth services is not represented in the existing literature, despite the wide scale research available on medical travel.

We explored the perspectives of women who were seeking better services outside their places of residence and midwives who travel to provide these services.

We followed a qualitative descriptive approach. We conducted 13 qualitative interviews with women from various European countries, four travelling midwives and one activist. Principles of thematic analysis were used.

Deciding whether to travel is the result of a long-term process, influenced by various push and pull factors. Travelling women and midwives share values; they trust the capacity of women to give birth; they value respect and equality in communication; they search for trusting relationships and friendly environments without unnecessary treatments. Trust and distrust on interpersonal and institutional levels influence women's decisions and frame narratives about their experiences.

To a great extent, travelling women and midwives share the values embedded in the midwifery model of care. Women and midwives are willing to take matters into their own hands to achieve their expected birth experiences.