Childbirth by Childbearing Couples: Reported Meanings

Maternal Birth Experience

There are decades of studies documenting the maternal birth experience, including those of culturally diverse women. Two national surveys of childbearing women conducted in the United States provide important data about maternal perspectives. Listening to the voices of childbearing women as they share their birth experiences is imperative. Women often describe the experience of giving birth in paradoxical terms, indicating that birth is a bittersweet experience. This description is confirmed in the national surveys, which reported that women articulated conflicting emotions, feeling both “confident and ...