Changes in attitudes to childbirth in modern times illustrated over three generations in Iraq

Objective

To describe changes in attitudes and expectations of labor over the previous six decades, comparing the Iraqi generation who labored at home without medical assistance with their descendants.

Study Design

We used semi-structured telephone interviews with 22 women across three generations of one extended family living and giving birth in Iraq between the 1950s and the 2010s. Qualitative data were analyzed thematically using open, axial, and selective coding.

Results

Each generation experienced a paradigm shift in childbirth, from exclusive home births to hospital-directed maternity care, to a trend that favors planned cesarean birth, driven by generation-specific changes in outlook. Emerging themes included social influences, changing technology, and medical professionals' recommendations; all of these affected attitudes toward childbirth and pregnancy. There were generational disconnects in perceptions concerning the reasons childbirth has changed over the past 60 years, with the youngest generation citing wider pressures regarding body image and marital relationships as two of the factors affecting preferences in childbirth options.

Conclusions

Societal changes and availability of healthcare services affect women's choices and experiences of childbirth. To be successful, efforts to improve women's experiences in labor, as well as maternal and neonatal outcomes, must consider these wider sociocultural issues.