Failure to progress or just normal? A constructivist grounded theory of physiological plateaus during childbirth.

BACKGROUND AND PROBLEM: During childbirth, one of the most common diagnoses of pathology is 'failure to progress', frequently resulting in labour augmentation and intervention cascades. However, failure to progress is poorly defined and evidence suggests that some instances of slowing, stalling and pausing labour patterns may represent physiological plateaus. AIM: To explore how midwives conceptualise physiological plateaus and the significance such plateaus may have for women's labour trajectory and birth outcome. METHODS: Twenty midwives across Australia participated in semi-structured interviews between September 2020 and February 2022. Constructivist grounded theory methodology was applied to analyse data, including multi-phasic coding and application of constant comparative methods, resulting in a novel theory of physiological plateaus that is firmly supported by participant data. FINDINGS: This study found that the conceptualisation of plateauing labour depends largely on health professionals' philosophical assumptions around childbirth. While the Medical Dominant Paradigm frames plateaus as invariably pathological, the Holistic Midwifery Paradigm acknowledges plateaus as a common and valuable element of labour that serves a self-regulatory purpose and results in good birth outcomes for mother and baby. DISCUSSION: Contemporary medicalised approaches in maternity care, which are based on an expectation of continuous labour progress, appear to carry a risk for a misinterpretation of physiological plateaus as pathological. CONCLUSION: This study challenges the widespread bio-medical conceptualisation of plateauing labour as failure to progress, encourages a renegotiation of what can be considered healthy and normal during childbirth, and provides a stimulus to acknowledge the significance of childbirth philosophy for maternity care practice.

Care ethics framework for midwifery practice: A scoping review.

Background: As a normative theory, care ethics has become widely theorized and accepted. However, there remains a lack of clarity in relation to its use in practice, and a care ethics framework for practice. Maternity care is fraught with ethical issues and care ethics may provide an avenue to enhance ethical sensitivity.Aim: The purpose of this scoping review is to determine how care ethics is used amongst health professions, and to collate the information in data charts to create a care ethics framework and definition for midwifery practice.Method: The scoping review was conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Scoping reviews (PRISMA-ScR) and Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) recommendations. The search was applied to the databases CINAHL, MEDLINE, PschInfo and Pubmed which were searched in September 2019 and again in July 2021. The inclusion criteria were guided by the mnemonic for search terms: Participants, Concept, and Context (PCC) and included variations of health care professionals, care ethics and utilization. The search was limited to qualitative studies published in English between 2010 and 2021. A data extraction tool was used to extract and synthesize data into categories. The articles were screened for eligibility by title, abstract and full text review, by two independent reviewers.Ethical Considerations: The scoping review was guided by ethical conduct respecting authorship and referencing sources.Results: Twelve of the initially identified 129 studies were included in the scoping review. Data synthesis yielded four categories of care ethics use by health professionals: relationship, context, attention to power and caring practices. In combination, the evidence forms a framework for care ethics use in midwifery practice.Conclusion: Care ethics use by health professionals enhances ethical sensitivity. A framework and definition for care ethics for midwifery practice is proposed. This review will be of interest to midwives and other health practitioners seeking to enhance ethical sensitivity.

Does midwifery-led care demonstrate care ethics: A template analysis.

BACKGROUND: Ethical care in maternity is fundamental to providing care that both prevents harm and does good, and yet, there is growing acknowledgement that disrespect and abuse routinely occur in this context, which indicates that current ethical frameworks are not adequate. Care ethics offers an alternative to the traditional biomedical ethical principles. RESEARCH AIM: The aim of the study was to determine whether a correlation exists between midwifery-led care and care ethics as an important first step in an action research project. RESEARCH DESIGN: Template analysis was chosen for this part of the action research. Template analysis is a design that tests theory against empirical data, which requires pre-set codes. PARTICIPANTS AND CONTEXT: A priori codes that represent midwifery-led care were generated by a stakeholder consultative group of nine childbearing women using nominal group technique, collected in Perth, Western Australia. The a priori codes were applied to a predesigned template with four domains of care ethics. ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS: Ethics approval was granted by the Edith Cowan University research ethics committee REMS no. 2019-00296-Buchanan. FINDINGS: The participants generated eight a priori codes representing ethical midwifery care, such as: 1.1 Relationship with Midwife; 1.2 Woman-centred care; 2.1 Trust women's bodies and abilities; 2.2. Protect normal physiological birth; 3.1. Information provision; 3.2. Respect autonomy; 4.1. Birth culture of fear (midwifery-led care counter-cultural) and 4.2. Recognition of rite of passage. The a priori codes were mapped to the care ethics template. The template analysis found that midwifery-led care does indeed demonstrate care ethics. DISCUSSION: Care ethics takes into consideration what principle-based bioethics have previously overlooked: relationship, context and power. CONCLUSION: Midwifery-led care has been determined in this study to demonstrate care ethics, which suggest that further research is defensible with the view that it could be incorporated into the ethical codes and conduct for the midwifery profession.

Looking back moving forward: The history of midwifery in Western Australia.

PROBLEM: To date there is has been very little research into midwifery in Western Australia (WA), therefore this paper addresses a significant gap in the literature. The aim of this paper was to gain insight into the history of midwifery in WA. BACKGROUND: Since the beginning of recorded history midwives have assisted women in childbirth. Midwifery is recognised as one of the oldest professions; midwives are mentioned in ancient Hindu texts, featured on Egyptian papyrus and in The Bible. Up until the seventeenth century childbirth was the responsibility of midwives, but the gradual emergence of barber-surgeons, then man-midwives and obstetricians heralded a shift from women-led and community-supported birth to a patriarchal and medical model. Throughout the twentieth century childbirth practices in the Western World have continued to change, leading to a move from midwifery-led care at home to doctor-led care in the hospital. DISCUSSION: The first non-Indigenous Australian midwives were not formally trained; they came on ships bringing convicts to Australia and are described as 'accidental' midwives, as assistance in childbirth came from whoever was available at the time. This period was followed by what was called the 'Aunt Rubina' period where older married women helped younger women in childbirth. Throughout the early 1800s untrained or 'lay' midwifery care continued alongside the more formally trained midwives who had arrived with the colonists. From the early 20th century, when birth moved into the hospital, midwives in WA have been incorporated into the hierarchy of the professions with obstetrics as the lead profession and midwifery considered a speciality of nursing. The role of the midwife has been subordinated, initially controlled by medicine and then incorporated into the institutions and nursing. The increase in legislative and training requirements for midwives throughout Australia and the move from home to the hospital, gradually led to the decrease in autonomous midwives working within the community, impacting women's choice of birth attendant and place of birth. CONCLUSION: The historical suppression of midwifery in Australia has impacted the understanding of the role of the midwife in the contemporary setting. Understanding the development and evolution of the midwifery profession in Australia can help future directions of the profession.

Graduating midwifery students' preferred model of practice and first job decisions: A qualitative study.

OBJECTIVES: To explore and describe the preferred model of practice and first job decisions of final stage midwifery students from three Western Australian universities. DESIGN: Qualitative descriptive. SETTING: Three Western Australian (WA) universities offering courses leading to registration as a midwife. PARTICIPANTS: Twenty-seven midwifery students from undergraduate and postgraduate (pre-registration) courses. METHODS: Data were collected from recorded interviews and focus groups. Thematic analysis of interview transcripts was used to identify commonalities. Data saturation guided when recruitment ceased and final sample size was achieved. FINDINGS: Participants' preferred model of maternity care was influenced by learning about and witnessing both autonomous midwifery practice and collaborative care during their studies. The greatest influence was clinical experience, with most preferring a continuity of midwifery model (CoM) but first consolidating their practice in a public hospital. Most students reported that they would not choose a private hospital as their first option. Work/life balance was also considered, with some accepting that family commitments and a need to work close to home may prevent them from choosing a CoM model. CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS: Although many Australian midwifery students start their midwifery course with preconceived ideology of their eventual workplace, the influences of their educators, clinical placement environment, preceptors and continuity of care experience relationships with women helped determine their final direction. To provide students with the experiences to become woman-centred autonomous practitioners it is important for universities and all maternity care providers to carefully consider their responsibility in how they influence midwifery students in education and practice.

Do midwifery International clinical placements influence students' practice and employment decisions?

AIM: The aim of this study was to investigate whether an International two-week clinical maternity placement enhances, and is beneficial, to midwifery students' future practice and employment decisions during the final year of an undergraduate degree. BACKGROUND: International placements are common in undergraduate pre-registration nursing midwifery university curricula, with the emphasis on preparing students to work with diverse women in multicultural environments whilst incorporating cultural competence. However, little is known as to whether an International placement influences future graduate's work place choice. METHODS: Using a qualitative approach, focus groups were undertaken with 16 final year midwifery students from a University in Western Australia who had experienced a two-week International clinical midwifery placement in Tanzania (Africa) or Manilla (Philippines). Data was analysed using thematic analysis. FINDINGS: The results of the study revealed eight over-arching themes that revealed an increase in midwifery student's confidence; an awareness of the need to consolidate knowledge and skills, reinforcement of their own career aspirations, midwifery beliefs and trust in women and physiological birth. CONCLUSION: This study confirms the benefits of overseas clinical placements, which provide opportunities beyond developing cultural sensitivity. Midwifery students are challenged to develop not only practical competence, but confidence to trust in themselves and the process of physiological birth. These experiences validate theoretical learning and provide opportunity to reflect on the possibilities of future employment and decision making as a midwife.

Midwifery students' understanding and knowledge of normal birth before 'delivery' of curriculum.

OBJECTIVE: To generate new knowledge that describes and explains the views and understanding, regarding midwifery and normal birth, that newly enrolled midwifery students hold at the commencement of their midwifery education. DESIGN: A qualitative descriptive approach was used in conjunction with an anonymous questionnaire. SETTING: A tertiary University in Western Australia FINDINGS: Eighteen postgraduate midwifery students (PG), and twenty undergraduate midwifery students (UG), completed the questionnaire.Postgraduate midwifery students with a nursing background had a pronounced medical terminology and philosophy, as opposed to undergraduate midwifery students. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Midwifery educators will need to ensure the teaching of midwifery philosophy and normal birth at the commencement of midwifery courses, before historical perspectives and anatomy and physiology. Students need to be aware that birth is not reliant on risk management or student's personal values, otherwise it will be difficult for new midwifery students to understand birth as a normal, physiological process.

The relationship is everything: Women׳s reasons for choosing a privately practising midwife in Western Australia.

OBJECTIVE: the purpose of this study was to describe women׳s reasons for choosing to birth with a privately practising midwife. DESIGN: a modified grounded theory methodology was used. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: the sample comprised 14 Western Australian women who had received maternity care from a privately practising midwife within the previous five years. FINDINGS: data analysis revealed three categories: the first was conceptualised as 'I knew what I wanted from my caregiver', which included sub-categories of: I wanted continuity of care; I wanted a relationship with my care provider; and I wanted a care provider with the same childbirth philosophy as me. The second encapsulated 'I knew what I wanted from my pregnancy and birth experience,' with two sub-categories, I wanted a natural, active, intervention free pregnancy and birth and I wanted my partner and family to be included. The final category was labelled 'I was willing to get the research to get what I wanted' and incorporated two sub-categories, I researched my care options and I researched my care provider options and the evidence around pregnancy and birth to be actively involved. KEY CONCLUSIONS: findings offer insight around women׳s reasons for choosing this model of midwifery care and highlight that women know exactly what they want from their caregiver. Women valued working with their midwife towards a shared goal of an intervention-free, normal birth, researched their options and found mainstream services restrictive and focused on medical risk status rather than on the individual woman. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: findings will be of interest to maternity care practitioners and policy makers, as they highlight why some women prefer a social model of midwifery care that reflects a family centred, individualised and holistic approach. This insight can inform the development of maternity health care practices to recognise and accommodate the needs and values of all childbearing women.