Wanting to give birth naturally: women’s perspective on planned homebirth with a nurse midwife

Abstract

Objective: to describe the choice of planned homebirth attended by a nurse midwife in a large urban centre, from the perspective of Brazilian women. Methods: in this Grounded Theory study, ten women aged 20 to 41 years, who had a planned homebirth accompanied by a nurse midwife, were interviewed. Participants were recruited through a social network by accessing a group of women who wrote about their homebirth. Results: two categories emerged: seeing no possibility of giving birth naturally in the hospital environment; and thinking about the safety of a planned homebirth. Hospital represented several unfavourable aspects, such as unnecessary interventions and loneliness. Women thought of home as a safe place to give birth, connected with nurse midwife care. Conclusion: there are women who do not wish to give birth in hospital, but prefer to give birth at home and, from the point of view of human rights and de-medicalized care, nurse midwives should support women in their decision.