[Wishes, expectations, fears--pregnant women before labor]

The aim of this study was to extend the medical knowledge of the prenatal expectations and wishes of pregnant women with respect to themselves, their partners and the maternity ward selected for the approaching birth, and also of the anxieties arising in this connection. In summary, our study shows that the desire to experience birth in the most natural, undisturbed and unmanipulated form possible is reiterated frequently, but is relativized by the intense need to be reassured of the safety of the unborn child. Fears experienced before the birth were focused accordingly on the condition of the child, although 25% of the women questioned acknowledged a marked fear of helplessness and failure. The obstetric team were expected to offer, as far as possible, the continuous personal supervision of a doctor and a midwife who were prepared to allow the patient the responsibility of being involved in obstetric decisions.