A balancing act in an unknown territory : a metasynthesis of first-time mothers׳ experiences in early labour

Eri, Tine S.; Bondas, Terese; Gross, Mechthild Maria; Janssen, Patricia; Green, Josephine M.

doi:10.1016/j.midw.2014.11.007

Publication type:	Article in scientific journal
Type of review:	Peer review (publication)
Title:	A balancing act in an unknown territory : a metasynthesis of first-time mothers׳ experiences in early labour
Authors:	Eri, Tine S. Bondas, Terese Gross, Mechthild Maria Janssen, Patricia Green, Josephine M.
DOI:	10.1016/j.midw.2014.11.007
Published in:	Midwifery
Volume(Issue):	31
Issue:	3
Page(s):	58
Pages to:	67
Issue Date:	2015
Publisher / Ed. Institution:	Elsevier
ISSN:	0266-6138 1532-3099
Language:	English
Subjects:	Early labour; Midwives; Metasynthesis; Women׳s experiences
Subject (DDC):	618.4: Childbirth
Abstract:	Objective: To integrate findings of individual studies in order to broaden the understanding of first-time mothers’ experiences of early labour. Design: The methodology was metasynthesis which is based on the interpretive meta-ethnography described by Noblit and Hare (1988). Metasynthesis is research on research which synthesises the findings of previous qualitative studies, and the focus is on interpretation and the creation of new knowledge. Setting: All included studies originated from high resource countries (USA 2, UK 4, and Scandinavia 5) and all were carried out in a context of hospital based maternity care. Participants: A total of 231 women participated in the studies. Findings: 11 articles were included. The main results are presented with the metaphor a balancing act in an unknown territory. The “unknown territory” has a double meaning: as the personal experience of going into labour for the first time and as encountering the maternity care system. On both levels women have to make significant decisions: whether labour really has started and subsequently when to go to the hospital. A key challenge is to balance the arrival on the labour ward at the ‘right’ time, not too early and not too late. Arriving at the ‘right’ time leads to a positive path, while arriving “too soon” might lead to a cascade of negative experiences. The results are further presented with five central themes: ‘Finding out if labour has started is absorbing’; ‘Dealing with labour at home’; “Trying to arrive at the labour ward at the right time”; “There is always a risk of being sent home”; “encountering health professionals arouses strong emotions”. Conclusions: The metasynthesis broadens the understanding of first-time mothers’ experiences of early labour, and suggests that women’s needs when planning a hospital birth are not being adequately met at this stage in the labour process. Three areas of future research are suggested: how to support and strengthen women during pregnancy in order to cope with early labour; women’s experiences of early labour when planning a birth in contexts other than hospital; and to continue to investigate new ways of giving care during early labour.
URI:	https://digitalcollection.zhaw.ch/handle/11475/8089
Fulltext version:	Published version
License (according to publishing contract):	Licence according to publishing contract
Departement:	School of Health Sciences
Organisational Unit:	Institute of Midwifery and Reproductive Health (IHG)
Appears in collections:	Publikationen Gesundheit

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Eri, T. S., Bondas, T., Gross, M. M., Janssen, P., & Green, J. M. (2015). A balancing act in an unknown territory : a metasynthesis of first-time mothers׳ experiences in early labour. Midwifery, 31(3), 58–67. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.midw.2014.11.007

Eri, T.S. et al. (2015) ‘A balancing act in an unknown territory : a metasynthesis of first-time mothers׳ experiences in early labour’, Midwifery, 31(3), pp. 58–67. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.midw.2014.11.007.

T. S. Eri, T. Bondas, M. M. Gross, P. Janssen, and J. M. Green, “A balancing act in an unknown territory : a metasynthesis of first-time mothers׳ experiences in early labour,” Midwifery, vol. 31, no. 3, pp. 58–67, 2015, doi: 10.1016/j.midw.2014.11.007.

ERI, Tine S., Terese BONDAS, Mechthild Maria GROSS, Patricia JANSSEN und Josephine M. GREEN, 2015. A balancing act in an unknown territory : a metasynthesis of first-time mothers׳ experiences in early labour. Midwifery. 2015. Bd. 31, Nr. 3, S. 58–67. DOI 10.1016/j.midw.2014.11.007

Eri, Tine S., Terese Bondas, Mechthild Maria Gross, Patricia Janssen, and Josephine M. Green. 2015. “A Balancing Act in an Unknown Territory : A Metasynthesis of First-Time Mothers׳ Experiences in Early Labour.” Midwifery 31 (3): 58–67. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.midw.2014.11.007.

Eri, Tine S., et al. “A Balancing Act in an Unknown Territory : A Metasynthesis of First-Time Mothers׳ Experiences in Early Labour.” Midwifery, vol. 31, no. 3, 2015, pp. 58–67, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.midw.2014.11.007.