Functional discomfort and a shift in midwifery paradigm

Sanders, Ruth ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5622-9862 (2015) Functional discomfort and a shift in midwifery paradigm. Women and Birth, 28 (3). e87-e91. ISSN 1871-5192

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Abstract

Objective: To determine and critically examine maternity attitudes surrounding labour pain and how midwives can best facilitate women navigating intrapartum discomfort without relying on ‘pain-relief’ strategies or immediate recourse for analgesic assistance. Approach: This article examines current literature using seminal research and wider international perspectives, exploring the complex and fluctuating needs of women negotiating the composite factors of labour discomfort are investigated. Findings: Factors such as birth environment, fear, midwifery presence, and self-efficacy, have a significant impact on the uptake of intrapartum analgesia. A holistic view of intrapartum discomfort is needed to shift the current paradigm of pathologising labour pain into one which situates it as a source of positive physiology and functional discomfort. Conclusion: Continuing to practice with a pharmacological outlook, aiming to rid the labouring body of discomfort, is reductionist for both midwives and women. Midwives must seek to employ a new lexicon with which to communicate and facilitate women within the dynamic and continually changing territory of labour. If this conceptual shift is realised, the subsequent positive sequalae of women rediscovering their innate birthing capabilities could create a situation where birth can be considered as an aesthetic peak experience, improving satisfaction on both sides of the midwife-mother diad.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	labour pain,epidural analgesia,midwifery facilitation,functional discomfort,birth
Faculty \ School:	Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences > School of Health Sciences
UEA Research Groups:	Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences > Research Centres > Lifespan Health
Depositing User:	Pure Connector
Date Deposited:	09 May 2018 15:30
Last Modified:	06 Jun 2024 15:02
URI:	https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/66988
DOI:	10.1016/j.wombi.2015.03.001

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