Autonomy and self-entrustment

Research touching autonomy and self-trust in birth is mainly qualitative. Studies explore how women experience autonomy in obstetric care, including violations of it, and how autonomy works in a relational context when managing labor pain. Others look at patient autonomy during co-designed intrapartum care in a maternity ward in Benin, women's participation and empowerment in instrumental vaginal births, and how midwives in Germany balance professional accountability with birth autonomy.

Papers also examine particular choices. These include decisions for vaginal birth after a previous caesarean section, the motivations of women who chose a high risk birth setting against medical advice, knowledge and decision-making around induction, and whether women feel capable of giving informed consent for epidural analgesia. A quasi-experimental study looks at midwifery-led continuity-of-care education in relation to health literacy, empowerment and fear of childbirth.

Parents commonly ask how to feel capable and in control when so much of birth is unpredictable. The research describes experiences and associations, and it continues to ask what builds that confidence. An educator may want slides that treat trust in oneself and informed choice as compatible. The papers below are the ones the Hub tracks on this topic.