Midwifery
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to investigate the relationship between adherence to six of the Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) Ten steps to successful breast feeding and the duration of breast feeding in first-time mothers. ⋯ socio-demographic and cultural factors may be more important determinants of the duration of breast feeding than some of the very specific hospital practices targeted in the Ten steps to successful breast feeding. From a public health perspective, we may influence the duration of breast feeding through better post-discharge support services, or through interventions that improve attitudes to breast feeding in specific socio-cultural and economic groups.
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to explore the prevalence of intimate partner abuse during pregnancy and to examine the effect and cumulative effects of different types of intimate partner abuse on health-related quality of life. ⋯ the relatively poor health-related quality of life of the abused women highlights the necessity of developing a checklist or a structured questionnaire that will assist in the detection of different types and combinations of intimate partner abuse, and that will be helpful in the development of more effective preventive interventions or programmes.
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to assess the actual workload of primary-care midwives in the Netherlands. ⋯ primary-care midwives spend an average of 29 hours per week working, and this has remained constant between 2001 and 2004. In client-related care, there has been a shift towards fewer clients per midwife but more time per client.
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to explore attitudes towards perinatal bereavement care among midwives working in Hong Kong through examination of relationships between attitudes towards bereavement support, need for bereavement education and appropriate hospital policy. ⋯ Hong Kong midwives require increased bereavement care knowledge and experience, improved communication skills, and greater hospital and team member support. Findings may be used to improve support of midwives, to ensure sensitive bereavement care in perinatal settings and to reflect training needs in the midwifery education curricula. Study findings highlight the universality of grief for a lost baby, irrespective of cultural differences in approaching emotional topics. This study may help midwives internationally to gain a broader perspective in this area.
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to explore and describe the influence of childbirth expectations on women's perception of their birthing experience and expectations for subsequent births. This was the second phase of a study, the purpose of which its purpose was to determine the childbirth expectations of a cohort of Western Australian women and ascertain factors that influenced these expectations. ⋯ the evaluation of birth experiences as positive or negative is contingent upon achieving most, or at least the priority, childbirth expectation. Knowing a woman's expectations assists the midwife in her advocacy role. This role in assisting women to achieve their expectations is reinforced by this research. Caregivers become even more important when expectations are not able to be realised. Behaviours that encourage involvement and participation in decision-making during birth promote feelings of control, coping and feeling supported, which ultimately are needed for women to assess their birth experience as positive. Achievable expectations, such as 'being flexible' and 'only having a healthy baby' could be regarded as a lessening of ideals. The issue of whether these changing expectations are contributing to the increasing technocratic approach to birth and the resulting devaluing of the normal birth experience requires further debate.