1. Objectifs

Intentions :
«[I]n this article, [the authors] propose to explore the evolution in childbirth brought about by multiparity.» (p. 956)

Questions/Hypothèses :
The research question guiding this study is: «How are subsequent childbirths likely to influence women’s birthing experiences?» (p. 956)

2. Méthode

Échantillon/Matériau :
«Participants who agreed to take part in this research had a variety of profiles. Regarding the number of parities, 15 participants were mothers of two children, three participants had three children, and two participants had four children. […]. From a health care standpoint, nine participants only gave birth in a hospital setting, two participants only in a birth center, and nine participants experienced both settings.» (p. 957) Participants must live in Capitale-Nationale or in Mauricie, in Québec.

Instruments :
Guide d’entretien

Type de traitement des données :
Analyse de contenu

3. Résumé

The results of the study show that «[w]hen expecting their first child, the unknown that childbirth represents can lead them to internalize the negative stories that are socially and culturally transmitted […]. Childbirth takes on the appearance of a risky event, all the more so if it takes place outside the hospital environment.» (p. 962) «Overall, previous experiences become the reference points on which to build. Previous positive expériences strengthen women’s confidence in a later birth and constitute, in a way, a protective factor against fears […]. Furthermore, it is sometimes necessary to experience two, three, even four births, for some women to overcome this fear-centered perspective and to trust themselves more.» (p. 962) «[W]omen who experienced a cesarean section during their first childbirth indicated that they did not fear childbirth per se when it came to giving birth a second time: They feared a cesarean birth. They feared the traumas related to cesarean section more than childbirth itself: Vaginal birth after a cesarean (VBAC) could even be approached in a position of hope. The traumas of the cesarean section are not only physiological; they also arise from the feeling of not having given birth according to what is biologically expected […].» (p. 962-963)