Abstract
INTRODUCTION: Rates of home birth have been increasing as has reliance on social media as a source of medical advice and support. This is the first study that directly evaluates birthing women’s beliefs about home births in the public posts and comments on two popular social media platforms. We sought to identify major themes on perceptions, attitudes, and advice offered about home birth on Reddit and TikTok. METHODS: Posts were searched using the terms “home birth” and “home versus hospital birth.” Up to five themes were collected per post or comment and were categorized as supportive, opposing, or neutral. We included posts from the United States, in English, with at least 10 comments and 10 upvotes or likes. Institutional review board approval was waived. RESULTS: A total of 777 posts and 47,452 comments were evaluated for inclusion; 257 posts and 2,408 comments met criteria for thematic content analysis. Overall in posts, 69% supported, 20% opposed, and 11% were neutral toward home birth. In comments, 53% supported, 28% opposed, and 19% were neutral. Supportive themes included concerns about safety of hospital delivery and reassurance about home birth safety, patient control with home deliveries, and advice about preparing for home birth. Opposing themes included concerns about risks of home birth, negligence of those attempting it, reassurance that hospital birth offers women control, and that medical interventions can be lifesaving. CONCLUSION: These results can help physicians recognize some of women’s concerns about hospital births and what information they may find on social media guiding them in their birth decisions.
Published Version
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call