“You are either with me on this or not”: A meta-ethnography of the influence birth partners and care-providers have on coping strategies learned in childbirth education and used by women during labour

Abstract

BackgroundChildbirth education, which includes providing information and practical techniques to help manage childbirth, aims to support women and their birth partners. It is unknown how birth partners and care providers influence the utilisation of childbirth education information and techniques during women’s labour and birth. AimTo explore the literature that investigates the influence that birth partners and care-providers have on the application of childbirth education information and techniques used by women during childbirth. MethodsA meta-ethnography was performed using a systematic synthesis of reciprocal translation and refutational investigation. There were 22 papers included in the final synthesis. Quality appraisal was undertaken using the Joanna Briggs Institute Qualitative Assessment and Review Instrument (JBIQARI) quality appraisal tool for qualitative studies. FindingsAn over-arching theme of ‘you are either with me on this or not’ emerged from the data, which expressed the positive and negative influences on the use of childbirth education information and techniques during labour and birth. The influence of birth partners was captured in the themes ‘stepping up to their full potential’ and ‘a spare part’. The themes ‘in alignment with the woman’ and ‘managed by another’ were conceptualised from the data in relation to care-providers’ influence. A theme, ‘the right fit’, described organisational and contextual influences. ConclusionBirth partners and care-providers who are present during a woman’s labour have significant potential to influence her use of childbirth education strategies in labour, which provides important insights for translation of evidence into practice.