RETURN TO NATURAL CHILDBIRTH: ARE OUR MIDWIVES READY FOR THIS? A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY FROM WESTERN TURKEY

This study aimed to report current knowledge and opinions of midwives regarding natural birth. Cross-sectional data were collected from 213 midwives. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Chi-square test. Midwives’ mean age and work experience were 37.85±5.81 and 18.36±6.49 years, respectively. Midwives assisted in normal births (65.3%), C-sections (33.3%) and natural births (1.6%), and indicated that the C-section is the riskiest birth (72.3%). Only 35% of midwives had received childbirth preparation classes training. Many midwives did not know about natural birth at all (21.2%) or about preparations for natural birth (41.7%). The midwives supported normal and natural births and believed such births to be healthy, but were not knowledgeable regarding natural birth and preparations for natural birth, and continued conventional birth practices.