JURNAL INTERNASIONAL KEBIDANAN 2020-2023 UNIVERSITAS KEDOKTERAN GUILAN VOLUME 33 ISSUE 2.
JOURNAL OF HOLISTIC NURSING OF MIDWIFERY.
Explaining the Childbirth Experience With the Support
of a Doula in an Iranian Setting: A Qualitative Study

JURNAL INTERNASIONAL KEBIDANAN 2020-2023 UNIVERSITAS KEDOKTERAN GUILAN VOLUME 33 ISSUE 2.
JOURNAL OF HOLISTIC NURSING OF MIDWIFERY.
Explaining the Childbirth Experience With the Support
of a Doula in an Iranian Setting: A Qualitative Study

Doula, Accompanying midwife, Vaginal birth, Labor, Qualitative research

Introduction: An expectant mother’s experience of normal vaginal delivery significantly
impacts her health. One of the determinants of a positive experience is to enjoy constant
support during labor.
Objective: This study was conducted to understand the mother’s childbirth experience with
the support of a doula during labor and delivery.
Materials and Methods: This research was a qualitative study with a content analysis
approach. A total of 16 pregnant women that gave birth with the assistance of doulas in a
hospital in Zanjan City, Iran, were included in this qualitative study with a content analysis
approach. Purposive sampling was used to select the participants in 2019. The study
data were collected through in-depth, semi-structured interviews with mothers, then
transcribed and coded. All interviews were conducted in one session, so 16 interviews
were obtained. Data analysis was done using the method proposed by Graneheim and
Lundman.
Results: The participants were 18-35 years old (27.5±6.7 years). Three women had a primary
school education, 7 had a high school diploma, and 6 had a university education. Four women
were employed, and the rest were homemakers. After data analysis, 4 main categories and
8 subcategories were extracted. Main categories and subcategories include comprehensive
support (physical support, mental support), assisting in materializing the motherhood dream
(inducing calm in the mother, being released from pain and suffering), internal reinforcement
(self-esteem, pain acceptance), and mother-centered care (doula as a different supportive,
bidirectional relationship).
Conclusion: Pregnant mothers’ satisfaction with delivery is affected by their experience.
According to the results, all mothers were satisfied with doula support during delivery. The
doula’s presence made childbirth a positive and satisfactory experience. The doula guided
mothers from fear, pain, and ignorance to happiness and satisfaction. It is necessary to
familiarize expectant mothers with the doula and the services they provide and facilitate their
presence in labor and delivery rooms.

Solmaz Heydari Fard , Zahra Behboodi Moghadam , Mahsa Khoshnam Rad

April 2023, Volume 33, Number 2

peri irawan

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