Opting for natural birth: A survey of birth intentions among young Icelandic women.

• Published in: Sexual & Reproductive Healthcare
• Main Authors: Swift, Emma Marie, Gottfredsdottir, Helga, Zoega, Helga, Gross, Mechthild M, Stoll, Kathrin
• Other Authors: 1 Univ Iceland, Dept Nursing, IS-101 Reykjavik, Iceland Show the Organization-Enhanced name(s) 2 Landspitali Univ Hosp, Univ Dept Obstet & Gynecol, Womens Clin, Reykjavik, Iceland Show the Organization-Enhanced name(s) 3 Univ Iceland, Dept Med, IS-101 Reykjavik, Iceland Show the Organization-Enhanced name(s) 4 Univ Iceland, Ctr Publ Hlth, IS-101 Reykjavik, Iceland Show the Organization-Enhanced name(s) 5 Hannover Med Sch, Midwifery Res & Educ Unit, Dept Obstet Gynaecol & Reprod Med, Carl Neuberg Str 1, D-30625 Hannover, Germany Show the Organization-Enhanced name(s) 6 Univ British Columbia, Sch Populat & Publ Hlth, 2206 East Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z3, Canada
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier 2017
• Subjects: Fæðing; Kvíði; Sársauki; MIW12; OAG12; Natural Childbirth; Prenatal Education; Anxiety; Labor Pain; Iceland
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/2336/620147; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.srhc.2016.09.006

To access publisher's full text version of this article click on the hyperlink at the bottom of the page To describe and analyse factors associated with natural birth intentions in a sample of pre-pregnant Icelandic women. An internationally validated tool was used to survey pre-pregnant women about their attitudes towards birth. The online survey was sent to all students at the University of Iceland in November 2014. Log binomial regression was used to calculate crude and adjusted relative risks (RRa), and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CI), for intentions of natural birth (defined as vaginal birth without epidural analgesia) by high, moderate and low childbirth fear and by high, moderate and low confidence in birth knowledge. Models were adjusted for socio-demographic and psychological factors. 410 eligible women completed the cross-sectional survey. Women with low fear of birth were more likely to have natural birth intentions when compared to women with moderate (RRa = 2.83; 95% CI; 1.48-5.41) and high (RRa = 4.86; 95% CI; 1.37-17.27) fear. Women with high confidence in their birth knowledge were more likely to have natural birth intentions compared to women with moderate (RRa = 2.81; 95% CI; 1.51-5.22) and low (RRa = 3.42; 95% CI; 1.43-8.18) confidence in their birth knowledge. Pre-pregnant women with low fear of birth and high confidence in their birth knowledge are more likely to have natural birth intentions. Addressing concerns about pain, safety, the perceived unpredictability of birth and worries about the physical impact of childbirth may strengthen natural birth intentions. University of Iceland Research Fund (Rannsoknarsjoour Haskola Islands)