ArticleBMC pregnancy and childbirth2022
A qualitative exploratory interview study on birth companion support actions for women during childbirth.
Article in BMC pregnancy and childbirth, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 23 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
23 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 42 citations in OpenAlex.
- Health system responsiveness for maternal healthcare services in East Africa: a mixed-methods systematic review.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2025Pooled it
- Effect of midwifery students' continuity of care program on women's experiences of maternity care: A randomised controlled trial.PloS one · 2026Trial
- Effect of Midwife-Provided Orientation of Birth Companions on Maternal Anxiety and Coping during Labor: A Stepped Wedge Cluster Randomized Control Trial in Eastern Uganda.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023Trial
- How Supportive Care Shapes Women's Childbirth Satisfaction: A Systematic Review.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- What Is My Role? A Qualitative Study of Labor, Birth, and Postpartum Experiences of Partners.Nursing & health sciences · 2026Article
- Midwives practices and mothers' experiences during intrapartum midwifery care: a qualitative study.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2026Article
- The Impact of Labor-Delivery-Recovery-Postpartum (LDRP) Care Model on Delivery Outcomes: A Single-Center Retrospective Cohort Study.International journal of women's health · 2026Article
- Exploring potential opportunities and strategies of using the Labour Care Guide to improve labour monitoring and health outcomes among health care providers in Uganda: a qualitative study.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2025Article
- Women's experiences of communication and supportive care during labour: a qualitative study in rural KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2025Article
- Women's experiences giving birth outside of health facilities in Kenya during the COVID-19 pandemic: a qualitative study.BMJ open · 2025Article
- Determinants of Negative Childbirth Experience and Its Influence on Mode of Delivery Decisions.Cureus · 2025Article
- Labor companionship utilization and healthcare providers perceptions in Gondar public health facilities: a mixed method study.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2025Article
- Relationship between the anxiety of labor companion and labor satisfaction among laboring women.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Analysis of factors affecting companions' level of adherence to support roles during labor and childbirth: a mixed-methods study.SAGE open medicine · 2025Article
- The lived experiences of postnatal mothers receiving birth companionship care in Katavi region, Tanzania: A phenomenological study.SAGE open medicine · 2025Article
- Refugee women's and providers' perceptions of person-centered maternity care: a qualitative study in two refugee camps in Chad.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2024Article
- Childbirth care by health professionals: conflicting practices in obstetrics.Revista brasileira de enfermagem · 2024Article
- Multiple Case Study Exploring the Impact of Visitor Restrictions in Hospitals on Childbirth Support during the COVID-19 Pandemic.Reproductive, female and child health · 2023Article
- Introducing Birth Companion in Labour: A Quality Improvement Initiative.Journal of obstetrics and gynaecology of India · 2023Article
- Access to support during childbirth?: women's preferences and experiences of support person integration in a cross-sectional facility-based survey.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2023Review
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Authors and funding
5 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe World Health Organization recommends that women are supported continuously throughout labor by a companion of their choice. And, that companions have clearly designated roles and responsibilities to ensure that their presence is beneficial to both the woman and her health care providers. Presently, there is lack of strong evidence regarding specific support actions in relation to women's needs of care. Thus, we aimed to explore birth companion support actions for women during childbirth.
methodsThis was an exploratory descriptive qualitative study conducted between August 2019 and December 2019; at a referral hospital in the Eastern part of Uganda. Ten women were purposively selected: those who were admitted in early labor, expecting a normal delivery, and had fulltime birth companion. Nonparticipant direct observation and in-depth interviews were used to collect data. Latent content analysis was used.
resultsThree themes were identified: "Support actions aiding a good childbirth experience", "Support actions hindering coping with labor", and "Women's needs and expectations of care". Support actions aiding a good experience described were; emotional presence, motivation, providing nourishments, messenger activities, body massage for pain relief, assisting in ambulation and coaching. Companion fearful behaviors and disrespectful care in form of unacknowledged needs and hostility from birth companions were reported to hinder coping. The women desired thoughtful communication, trust, for birth companions to anticipate their needs and recognize non perceptive phases of labor to allow them focus on themselves.
conclusionBirth companions from this study largely supported women emotionally, and attended to their physical needs. The greater part of support actions provided were esteemed by the women. Presence of birth companion will be of benefit when individual needs of women are put into consideration. Also, more guidance for birth companions is necessary to boost their role and mitigate shortcomings of their presence during childbirth.
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