Fathers' birth experience in relation to midwifery care

The aim was to identify the proportion of fathers having a positive experience of a normal birth and to explore factors related to midwifery care that were associated with a positive experience.

Background

Research has mainly focused on the father's supportive role during childbirth rather than his personal experiences of birth.

Methods

595 new fathers living in a northern part of Sweden, whose partner had a normal birth, were included in the study. Data was collected by questionnaires. Odds Ratios with 95% confidence interval and logistic regression analysis were used.

Results

The majority of fathers (82%) reported a positive birth experience. The strongest factors associated with a positive birth experience were midwife support (OR 4.0; 95 CI 2.0–8.1), the midwife's ongoing presence in the delivery room (OR 2.0; 1.1–3.9), and information about the progress of labour (OR 3.1; 1.6–5.8).

Conclusion

Most fathers had a positive birth experience. Midwifery support, the midwife's presence and sufficient information about the progress of labour are important aspects in a father's positive birth experience. The role of the midwife during birth is important to the father, and his individual needs should be considered in order to enhance a positive birth experience.