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A comparative study on birthing practices in the United States

Conducted by Charline Barber-Hawksworth, researcher (char@pacific.net)

You are invited to participate in a comparative study on birthing practices in the United States. We hope to learn why women choose one birth location and/or experience over another. The information in the questionnaire which follows will be used in a published thesis for partial completion of a Master's degree in Psychology. The names and other identifying data, should you choose to include them, will be confidential and no identifying data will be used.

Be sure to read the consent statement.


Questionnaire

Please feel free to elaborate or to comment on any of the questions. You may skip any questions you would prefer not to answer.

1. How many births have you had? ________

2. This questionnaire response applies to birth # __. What was the year?___

3. Who attended your birthing? (Choose one only, please)

4. Why did you choose this attendant?

5. Where did you birth your baby?

6. Why did you choose this location?

7. Did you feel you had a choice of birth location? (hospital, birthing center, home, etc.)

8. Was cost a factor in the above choices of attendant(s) or location?

9. Were there interventions?

10. What was the method of the birth? (vaginal, C-section, forceps, et.)

11. How did you feel about the birth at the time?

12. How about now?

13. Would you choose to birth again in the same location?

14. With the same attendants?

Please answer whichever of the next two questions applies to you:

15a. If you had a hospital/birthing center birth, did you ever consider a home birth?
(Circle one) Yes No
Why?
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________

15b. If you had a home birth, did you ever consider a hospital/birthing center birth?
(Circle one) Yes No
Why?
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________

16. What, if anything, would you change or do differently next time?

17. Overall, how satisfied are you with this birth experience? (please check the number which best represents your level of satisfaction)
___1 ___2 ___ 3 ___4 ___5 ___ 6 ___7 ___ 8 ___9 ___10
(Absolutely detested it) (A wonderful, fulfilling experience)

18. Whom do you believe has the responsibility for the outcome of a birth? (Choose only one, please) ___

19. Who, or what, is responsible if the birth has a poor outcome?

20. When you were growing up, did your mother, or someone else, talk about birthing experiences with you? (If you are able to remember what was said, please include)

21. What were your feelings about these experiences?

22. Which of the following statements (if any) is the closest to your feelings about pregnancy and birth:

23. Are you acquainted with the physiology and process of birth?

24. Did you attend classes?

25. If so, where were the classes held?

26. What (if any) methods did you use for pain relief?


This concludes the questionnaire. Thank you very much for your assistance in this research.

Would you be willing to fill out a further questionnaire or be interviewed by telephone or in person should more information be needed? If so, please fill out the optional section following. Your name will not be printed, nor used for any purpose other than contacting you.

Name: _____________________________________________________

Address: ____________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________

Telephone: (Please include area code ) __________________________


Consent:

The foregoing questionnaire is designed to study the choices made of one birth experience/location over another. Although your name and other identifying information are not required, if you do choose to provide this information, it will be used only for purposes of contacting you and will remain completly confidential.

By completing and returning this questionnaire you have implied your consent to participate in the study.

If you have any questions or wish to discuss this questionnaire or your experience, please feel free to contact the researcher, Charline Barber-Hawksworth (char@pacific.net), 2900 Road 110, Hopland, CA 95449 (707) 744-1835. The committee chair is Dr. Gerryanne Olson who may be contacted at the Sonoma State University Psychology Department (707) 664-2411.


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To: Midwifery Today -- Your Online Birth Center

Last updated 11/18/95 by Donna Dolezal Zelzer, djz@efn.org