How Giving Birth Makes Sense: A Questionnaire Study on Existential Meaning-Making Among Mothers Giving Birth Preterm or
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How Giving Birth Makes Sense: A Questionnaire Study on Existential Meaning‑Making Among Mothers Giving Birth Preterm or at Term Line Bruun Hansen, et al. [full author details at the end of the article] Accepted: 6 October 2020 © Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2020
Abstract Background Women’s reflections on existential meaning-making in relation to giving birth may seem indistinct in maternity services and have not been thoroughly explored in secular contexts. However, research suggests that childbirth accentuates spiritual and existential considerations and needs even in secular contexts highlighting the importance of care for such needs in maternity care practices. The objectives of this study were two-fold: Firstly, to explore how first-time mothers, living in a secular context, experience their first birth in relation to existential meaningmaking. Secondly, to describe the relationship between existential meaning-making reflections and gestational week at birth. Methods A nationwide cross-sectional study in Denmark based on the questionnaire “Faith, existence and motherhood” was conducted in 2011. Eight core items related to birth experience informed this study. The cohort was sampled from the Danish Medical Birth Registry and consisted of 913 mothers having given birth 6–18 months previously. Twenty-eight per cent had given birth preterm (PT) and 72% had given birth at full-term (FT). A total of 517 mothers responded. Results In relation to the birth of their first child, both FT and PT mothers answered, that they had existential meaning-making reflections. The consent to the 8 items ranged from 17 to 73% among FT mothers and from 19 to 58% among PT mothers. Mothers who gave birth preterm mainly identified the negative aspects of birth, whereas mothers, who gave birth at full-term, to a higher degree identified positive aspects. Conclusions Findings suggest that not only traumatic birth events accentuate existential reflections, but that even normal childbirth to most mothers is an existential event. However, the quality of existential reflections differs when comparing normal and traumatic birth. The study points towards change in education and organization of maternity care to better care for existential needs and reflections specific to every new mother and birthing woman. Keywords Parturition (MeSH) · Premature Birth (MeSH) · Meaning-making · Existentialism (MeSH) · Spirituality (MeSH) · Secularism (MeSH)
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Journal of Religion and Health
Abbreviations MMM Meaning-making matrix FT mothers Full-term mothers with ≥ 37 completed weeks of gestation PT mothers Mothers giving birth preterm before the 32nd week of gestation OPEN Odense Patient data Explorative Network OR Odds ratios CI Confidence intervals EVS European value survey
Background Those of us privileged to engage in childbirth most likely will agree that the birth of a child confronts us with unique and existential dimensions of life. In research, the birth of a child is found to be
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