To build a bridge between two worlds: Mothers' experiences of professional support at the maternity ward.

We studied the experience of professional support among first-time mothers in relation to a scale measuring professional support in maternity care. We used a qualitative study with both an inductive and deductive approach and interviewed nine mothers. Our findings, both inductive and deductive, suggest that first-time mothers expect professional support in their transition into motherhood, building a bridge between two worlds. The first meeting, acknowledging individual needs, and supporting partner participation were important for good support. Maternity care should be organized with a focus on availability and professional support for mothers and the increased participation of their partners. Our scale of measurement can be useful but needs some development.

Adolescent Perceptions of Parenting Styles in Sweden, Italy and Greece: An Exploratory Study.

Comparative research on parenting styles among Nordic and Mediterranean countries is still missing, despite the increasing number of studies on parenting styles in adolescence. This study explores similarities and differences in adolescents' retrospective perceptions of parenting styles, for both parents, in Sweden, Italy and Greece, using the Parenting Styles and Dimensions Questionnaire. In particular, it examines the relation between parental role, adolescent gender, country of origin, SES and these perceptions. Swedish, Italian and Greek adolescents (N = 702; 30.9% Swedish, 39.6% Italian and 29.5% Greek) participated in the study. To test the principal effects three mixed 2(parent; mother and father)*2(gender; girl and boy)*3(countries; Sweden, Italy and Greece)*3(SES; low, medium and high) ANOVAs were conducted separately for each parenting style. To verify the interaction effects, a mixed 2(parent; mother and father)*3(countries; Sweden, Italy and Greece)*3(SES; low, medium and high) ANOVA was tested on authoritative style. Regarding authoritarian and permissive two mixed 2(parent; mother and father)*2(gender; girl and boy)*3(countries; Sweden, Italy and Greece) ANOVAs were tested. Mothers, as compared to fathers, were perceived as more authoritative, authoritarian and permissive. Moreover, boys perceived their parents as more authoritarian and more permissive than girls. Swedish parents were perceived as significantly less authoritarian than Italian and Greek parents and more permissive than Italian parents; Greek parents were perceived as less authoritarian and more permissive than Italian parents. The study provides an interesting contribution to parenting styles literature, showing how country legislation concerning family matters and SES are related the perception of parenting behaviours.

Factors influencing positive birth experiences of first-time mothers.

Objectives. The objective of this study was to describe first-time mothers' experiences and reflections of their first birth. Study Design. This study is a part of a larger study which was carried out in southwestern Sweden in 2008. A qualitative method with content analysis was chosen for this study. The unit of data was 14 written narratives from the first-time mothers. Results. The theme "To be empowered increases first-time mothers' chances for a positive birth experience" crossed over into all the three categories: "To trust the body and to face the pain," "Interaction between body and mind in giving birth," and "Consistency of support." Conclusion. In order to feel confident in their first childbirth, the women wanted to be confirmed and seen as unique individuals by the professionals and their partner. If professionals responded to the individual woman's needs of support, the woman more often had a positive birth experience, even if the birth was protracted or with medical complications.

Exploring Professional Support Offered by Midwives during Labour: An Observation and Interview Study.

Support in labour has an impact on the childbirth experience as well as on childbirth outcomes. Both social and professional support is needed. The aim of this study was to explore professional support offered by midwives during labour in relation to the supportive needs of the childbearing woman and her partner. The study used a qualitative, inductive design using triangulation, with observation followed by interviews. Seven midwives were observed when caring for seven women/couples in labour. After the observations, individual interviews with midwives, women, and their partners were conducted. Data were analysed using hermeneutical text interpretation. The results are presented with three themes. (1) Support as a professional task seems unclear and less well defined than medical controls. (2) Midwives and parents express somewhat different supportive ideas about how to create a sense of security. (3) Partner and midwife interact in support of the childbearing woman. The main interpretation shows that midwives' supportive role during labour could be understood as them mainly adopting the "with institution" ideology in contrast to the "with woman" ideology. This may increase the risk of childbearing women and their partners perceiving lack of support during labour. There is a need to increase efficiency by providing support for professionals to adopt the "with woman" ideology.

Support during labour: first-time fathers' descriptions of requested and received support during the birth of their child.

OBJECTIVE: to explore how first-time fathers describe requested and received support during a normal birth. DESIGN: qualitative research design. Ten first-time fathers were interviewed during the first postpartum week. Individual open-ended interviews were used to explore the fathers' descriptions, and the interviews were analysed using qualitative analysis. SETTING: a labour ward at one hospital in a south-western county of Sweden in November and December 2006. PARTICIPANTS: first-time fathers who had experienced a normal birth at the hospital during the study period. FINDINGS: the support described is presented as one main theme, 'being involved or being left out', which included four underlying categories: 'an allowing atmosphere', 'balancing involvement', 'being seen' and 'feeling left out'. KEY CONCLUSIONS: fathers perceived that they were given good support when they were allowed to ask questions during labour, when they had the opportunity to interact with the midwife and their partner, and when they could choose when to be involved or to step back. Fathers want to be seen as individuals who are part of the labouring couple. If fathers are left out, they tend to feel helpless; this can result in a feeling of panic and can put their supportive role of their partner at risk. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: the results of this study could initiate discussions about how health-care professionals can develop support given to the labouring couple, with an interest in increasing paternal involvement.

A description of Swedish midwives' reflections on their experience of caring for teenage girls during pregnancy and childbirth.

OBJECTIVE: to describe Swedish midwives' reflections on their experiences of caring for teenage girls during pregnancy and childbirth. DESIGN: a hermeneutical approach was used, with focus-group discussions as the method of data collection. SETTING: three focus-group discussions were conducted in a county comprising urban, suburban and rural districts in south-western Sweden. PARTICIPANTS: a voluntary sample of 24 midwives, aged 32-61 years, who were caring for women in different birth settings, participated in 2004. FINDINGS: two main themes, with three sub-themes each, were generated by the midwives: (1) the teenage mother, as 'teenagers who are proud of becoming mothers', 'teenagers who are unprepared for becoming mothers' and 'teenagers with an immigrant background', and (2) 'the midwives' wish to care for the teenage mother', as 'taking the teenage mother seriously', 'being an important person for the teenage mother', and 'being a help for the teenage mother'. KEY CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: the findings provide some understanding of the unique characteristics of caring for teenage mothers. For the midwives, the most important aspects of caring for the teenage mother included taking the teenage mother seriously, allowing the midwife herself to become an important person for the teenage mother, and being a help to the mother. This help requires the midwife to balance the different needs of each teenage mother.