Midwives’ personal experiences of pregnancy and childbirth: Exploring issues of autonomy and agency in relation to the use of professional knowledge

Abstract

This paper seeks to explore midwives’ experiences of pregnancy and childbirth. It draws on interviews with nine midwives who completed their midwifery training prior to becoming mothers, to discuss how midwives use their professional knowledge to exercise agency (the choices made about their own care), and assume autonomy (the control and responsibility in relation to their own care), in pregnancy and childbirth. It illustrates that a reliance on professional knowledge may create opportunities for choice and increased autonomy in some situations, although the need for intervention during childbirth, for example, may challenge the degree of autonomy exercised by midwives and the choices available to them. As knowledgeable experts, midwives demonstrate a very different understanding of risk and safety in relation to their own experiences of childbirth. Professional knowledge may increase their anxieties which may not be addressed appropriately by caregivers due to their professional status. The use of knowledge in this way highlights potential conflict between their position as midwives and their experience as mothers, illustrating that midwives’ ability to exercise agency and autonomy in relation to their pregnancy and childbirth experiences is potentially problematic.