Matricentric or Medically Responsible: An Exploration of Midwives’ Attitudes Towards Caring for Women and Birthing People Who Choose to Birth Outside of Guidelines

Westbury, Becky; Einion, Alys

Matricentric care centres around the birthing woman/person and acknowledges the systems and structures that may impact upon them and their experience.1 Choice is embedded into modern maternity care, with multiple human rights legislations supporting an individual’s rights to accept or decline care.2 In practice, birthing people have reported incidences of facing opposition or feeling unsupported in their choices,3 which has the potential to lead them to pursue other options exposing them to more risk.4 Midwives play an integral role in supporting birth choices and providing respectful maternity care,5 and as such it is crucial to identify factors affecting this.

The Practising Midwife, 2021, Vol 24, Issue 10

1461-3123

10.55975/ejoz4427