Hospital Childbirth: Perspectives of Women and Professionals for a Positive Experience-A Qualitative Study

The perception and interpretation of childbirth are changing as values change. This requires women and professionals to adapt to new circumstances. The objective of this study was to analyze the perspectives of women and professionals on hospital birth and to identify improvement areas in order to achieve a positive perinatal experience. A qualitative prospective study with a phenomenological approach was conducted using semi-structured interviews with women, two and eight months after childbirth, participant observation, and professional focus groups. The analysis of the transcribed texts involved a thematic inductive approach. Four improvement areas emerged from the analysis: (a) strengthening communication and the therapeutic relationship; (b) unifying criteria between hospitals and primary care centers to provide coordinated and coherent information; (c) involvement of the partner in the whole process of pregnancy-childbirth-puerperium; (d) improvement of the spaces used in prenatal care and births. The need for a continuity of care from the beginning of pregnancy to the postpartum period is emphasized, which requires an improvement in information, participation, and the promotion of shared decision-making. To this end, coordinated interdisciplinary work, involvement of the partner and the improvement of the spaces used in prenatal care and births are essential.