The woman-midwife relationship and continuity of carer
Research type
Research Study
Full title
The woman-midwife relationship and continuity of carer; lived experiences of women and their midwives in Scotland
IRAS ID
264160
Contact name
Kathryn Hardie
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Edinburgh Napier University
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 5 months, 15 days
Research summary
Women remember their experiences of childbirth with clarity and intensity. The interpretation of this life event is personal to the individual and can be influenced by many aspects including the nature and dynamics of the carer-woman relationship. Women’s expectations are diverse, however increasing medicalisation of maternity care is evident from rising rates of caesarean section, induction of labour and epidural use. Alongside this, midwives report poor work experiences and high levels of stress. Within the current fragmented midwifery care system, we must question how these circumstances can be changed to improve the experiences of women and midwives.
Change is taking place for midwifery care provision, moving from a fragmented system to encompass the principles of continuity of carer as per The Best Start: five year plan for maternity and neonatal care. Continuity of carer focuses on the constancy of the relationship between a woman and her midwife before, during and after birth. While significant research has been carried out which looks at clinical outcomes and continuity there is little to reveal the experiences of receiving and providing care in this relationship.
This study aims to explore the experiences of the relationship formed between women and their midwives within the context of continuity of carer. Up to five participant pairings consisting of a woman and her midwife will be interviewed individually at two points; once during the pregnancy and once after the baby is born. Visual data collection methods will also be used during the interview in an attempt to capture rich data through ‘Rivers of Experience'. It is anticipated that this will assist participants to outline their unique experiences of the relationship by drawing the river pathway to emphasise specific moments which will be analysed alongside the audio data. Data will be analysed using the principles of Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA).REC name
East of Scotland Research Ethics Service REC 1
REC reference
21/ES/0108
Date of REC Opinion
6 Dec 2021
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion