Startseite Sozialwissenschaften “Sacred and Beautiful”: The Lived Experience of Slovak Women who had a Planned Homebirth
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“Sacred and Beautiful”: The Lived Experience of Slovak Women who had a Planned Homebirth

  • Branislav Uhrecký ORCID logo EMAIL logo , Radomíra Rajnohová und Martina Baránková ORCID logo
Veröffentlicht/Copyright: 11. September 2023

Abstract

While many Western countries do legally permit homebirths under certain conditions, in the Slovak Republic they exist in a legal vacuum – they are neither permitted nor prohibited. In the present study, we aimed to explore how Slovak women who deliberately delivered at home perceive the reason for this decision and the subsequent homebirth itself. We interviewed eight women aged 21 to 36 and analysed the transcripts using the interpretative phenomenological analysis framework. The analysis revealed four major themes – (1) the sacredness of childbirth, (2) the aspiration to be the director of your childbirth, (3) homebirth as an expression of the need for intimacy, and (4) the struggle with one’s social circle. Childbirth is seen as an ultimate act of nature defined by its beauty and purity, but these qualities are tainted by biomedical approach of healthcare providers. The results of this study suggest that women’s needs of autonomy, relatedness, and inclusion are not properly met by Slovak health care and obstetrics. Stricter adherence to the principle of informed consent during hospital births, and legalisation and regulation of homebirths could reduce medical risks during childbirth and improve women’s mental well-being during and after a pivotal moment in their life.


Corresponding author: Branislav Uhrecký, Institute of Experimental Psychology, Centre of Social and Psychological Sciences, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia, E-mail:

Award Identifier / Grant number: 2/0083/22

Acknowledgments

We thank all our respondents for taking part in this study and we thank Mgr. Janka Horehájová for transcripting the interviews.

  1. Research funding: This research was supported by grant agency VEGA, project no. 2/0083/22, Strategies, resources and consequences of emotion regulation in the provision of health care.

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Received: 2022-08-24
Accepted: 2023-08-17
Published Online: 2023-09-11
Published in Print: 2024-01-29

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