Parental Choice of Alternative Birth Environments and Attitudes toward Childrearing Philosophy

Abstract

This study sought to determine the attitudes and values of prospective parents choosing three approaches to childbirth: maternity center, hospital, and home birth. The investigation examined (a) decision-making procedures and considerations for choice of birth environment, and (b) attitudes toward traditional parenting and values. Sixty-four prospective mother-father pairs from the three birth environment groups participated in the questionnaire survey. The birth environment groups differ with respect to how and why they select a particular delivery mode for their first child. Maternity-center couples emerge on the whole as less traditional and more representative of sex-egalitarian attitudes toward parenting. Overall, differences by gender, not group, were found with respect to who intiates the birth-environment decision and to parenting attitudes.