Birth plans – a critical reflection

Iva Korábová
Zuzana Masopustová

Abstract

The aim of the presented paper is a critical reflection on foreign researches regarding birth plans and their implementation in practice. It focuses on the impact of the use of birth plans on the birth experience and a sense of control experienced by a woman during childbirth, but also on the impact of the use of birth plans on delivery outcomes from a medical point of view. Besides the critical reflection on methodological studies examining the effectiveness of birth plans, factors that may influence the use of birth plans and their effectiveness in practice are also described. Specifically, these comprise the attitudes of healthcare professionals towards the use of birth plans and the distinction between birth plans offered by healthcare professionals /institutions and those developed on the women’s own initiative. In addition, attention is paid to the form of birth plans, to the most common requests mentioned in women’s birth plans, to women’s charac­teristics that may affect the form of the birth plan, and to the relationship between birth plans and women’s visions of the birth process.

https://doi.org/10.29364/epsy.333

(Fulltext in Czech)

Keywords

birth plan, birth experience, sense of control

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