Midwives and information-giving during labour

Abstract

Women’s dissatisfaction with the lack of information available to them emerges repeatedly from studies of consumers’ views of maternity care (Cartwright, 1979; Oakley, 1980; Garcia, 1982). As a midwife I became increasingly aware of the misfit between midwifery care and many of women’s needs and expectations in this respect. I therefore wanted to examine what actually happens during labour with regard to the flow of information. A DHSS Nursing Research Fellowship enabled me to pursue this objective and undertake the study described in this chapter.