Optimal settings for childbirth

Exploring the Role of Birth Environment on Italian Mothers' Emotional Experience during Childbirth

The physical environment is one of the factors that affect mother's experience of childbirth and psychological health. A woman's childbirth experience has been found to influence not only the mother's own health and future births but also the well-being of her child and family. The present study's objective was to investigate mothers' perceptions of spatial-physical humanization, affective quality of place, and emotions during childbirth. To achieve this goal, the first part of our work was dedicated to selecting two birth environments (hospital and birth center) with different degrees of humanization. The methods include observations and field survey which mainly concerned the environmental quality of the spaces and the layout of the birth unit, and self-report questionnaire about perceived environment, affective quality attributed to place, and delivery experience. Participants are 66 low-risk women, choosing hospital or birth center. The findings indicate an enhanced perception of both the spatial-physical aspects and the social and functional aspects of the care unit among mothers who give birth at the birth center. These same mothers also report a more positive perception of the childbirth experience. In conclusion, this study contributes to the understanding of the role of birth environments in shaping mothers' emotional experiences during childbirth.

A Broad Study to Develop Maternity Units Design Knowledge Combining Spatial Analysis and Mothers' and Midwives' Perception of the Birth Environment

OBJECTIVES

This article investigates how the physical birth environment is perceived by the users (women and midwives) in different settings, a midwife-led unit and an obstetric-led unit, placed in Italy.

BACKGROUND

In the field of birth architecture research, there is a gap in the description of the spatial and physical characteristics of birth environments that impact users' health, specifically for what concerns the perception by women.

METHODS

The study focuses on multi-centered mixed methods design, employing both quantitative and qualitative research methods (questionnaire, spatial analysis) and covering different disciplines (architecture, environmental psychology, and midwifery).

RESULTS

The results revealed significant differences between the two settings and some associations between perceived and spatial data concerning: calm atmosphere, greater intimacy, spacious birth room, clarity of service points, clarity in finding midwives, sufficient space for labor, noise, privacy, and the birth room adaptability.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings confirm the importance of the spatial layout and indicate documented knowledge as an input to consider when designing birth spaces in order to promote user well-being.