Collaboration of midwives in primary care midwifery practices with other maternity care providers.

Background: Inter-professional collaboration is considered essential in effective maternity care. National projects are being undertaken to enhance inter-professional relationships and improve communication between all maternity care providers in order to improve the quality of maternity care in the Netherlands. However, little is known about primary care midwives' satisfaction with collaboration with other maternity care providers, such as general practitioners, maternity care assistance organisations (MCAO), maternity care assistants (MCA), obstetricians, clinical midwives and paediatricians.

Satisfaction with caregivers during labour among low risk women in the Netherlands: the association with planned place of birth and transfer of care during labour.

Background: The caregiver has an important influence on women's birth experiences. When transfer of care during labour is necessary, care is handed over from one caregiver to the other, and this might influence satisfaction with care. It is speculated that satisfaction with care is affected in particular for women who need to be transferred from home to hospital.

A qualitative interview study into experiences of management of labor pain among women in midwife-led care in the Netherlands.

Introduction: Many pregnant women are concerned about the pain they will experience in labor and how to deal with this. This study's objective was to explore women's postpartum perception and view of how they dealt with labor pain.

Methods: Semistructured postpartum interviews were analyzed using the constant comparison method.

The Relationships of Health Behaviour and Psychological Characteristics with Spontaneous Preterm Birth in Nulliparous Women.

Objectives Preterm birth is the leading pregnancy outcome associated with perinatal morbidity and mortality and remains difficult to prevent. There is evidence that some modifiable maternal health characteristics may influence the risk of preterm birth. Our aim was to investigate the relationships of self-reported maternal health behaviour and psychological characteristics in nulliparous women with spontaneous preterm birth in prenatal primary care.

Antenatal care use in urban areas in two European countries: Predisposing, enabling and pregnancy-related determinants in Belgium and the Netherlands.

Background: Examining determinants of antenatal care (ANC) is important to stimulate equitable distribution of ANC across Europe. This study (1) compares ANC utilisation in Belgium and the Netherlands and (2) identifies predisposing, enabling and pregnancy-related determinants.

Methods: Secondary data analysis is performed using data from Belgium, and the Netherlands.

Perceptions of labour pain management of Dutch primary care midwives: a focus group study.

Background: Labour pain is a major concern for women, their partners and maternity health care professionals. However, little is known about Dutch midwives' perceptions of working with women experiencing labour pain. The aim of this study was to explore midwives' perceptions of supporting women in dealing with pain during labour.

Socio-demographic inequalities across a range of health status indicators and health behaviours among pregnant women in prenatal primary care: a cross-sectional study.

Background: Suboptimal maternal health conditions (such as obesity, underweight, depression and stress) and health behaviours (such as smoking, alcohol consumption and unhealthy nutrition) during pregnancy have been associated with negative pregnancy outcomes. Our first aim was to give an overview of the self-reported health status and health behaviours of pregnant women under midwife-led primary care in the Netherlands. Our second aim was to identify potential differences in these health status indicators and behaviours according to educational level (as a proxy for socio-economic status) and ethnicity (as a proxy for immigration status).

An explorative study of factors contributing to the job satisfaction of primary care midwives.

Objective: the main objectives of our study was to gain an understanding of how primary care midwives in the Netherlands feel about their work and to identify factors associated with primary care midwives׳ job satisfaction and areas for improvement.

Design: a qualitative analysis was used, based on the constructivist/interpretative paradigm. Three open-ended questions in written or online questionnaire, analysed to identify factors that are linked with job satisfaction, were as follows: 'What are you very satisfied with, in your work as a midwife?', 'What would you most like to change about your work as a midwife?' and 'What could be improved in your work?'.

Prenatal screening for congenital anomalies: exploring midwives' perceptions of counseling clients with religious backgrounds.

Background: In the Netherlands, prenatal screening follows an opting in system and comprises two non-invasive tests: the combined test to screen for trisomy 21 at 12 weeks of gestation and the fetal anomaly scan to detect structural anomalies at 20 weeks. Midwives counsel about prenatal screening tests for congenital anomalies and they are increasingly having to counsel women from religious backgrounds beyond their experience. This study assessed midwives' perceptions and practices regarding taking client's religious backgrounds into account during counseling.

Birth setting, transfer and maternal sense of control: results from the DELIVER study.

Background: In the Netherlands, low risk women receive midwife-led care and can choose to give birth at home or in hospital. There is concern that transfer of care during labour from midwife-led care to an obstetrician-led unit leads to negative birth experiences, in particular among those with planned home birth. In this study we compared sense of control, which is a major attribute of the childbirth experience, for women planning home compared to women planning hospital birth under midwife-led care.

Dutch women in midwife-led care at the onset of labour: which pain relief do they prefer and what do they use?

Background: Pain experienced during labour is more extreme than many other types of physical pain. Many pregnant women are concerned about labour pain and about how they can deal with this pain effectively.The aim of this study was to examine the associations among low risk pregnant women's characteristics and their preferred use and actual use of pain medication during labour.

Socio-demographic and lifestyle-related characteristics associated with self-reported any, daily and occasional smoking during pregnancy.

Smoking during pregnancy is a risk factor for various adverse birth outcomes. In order to develop effective interventions, insight is needed into the characteristics associated with pregnant women who smoke. Unknown is whether these characteristics differ for women who smoke daily and women who smoke occasionally.

What do midwives need to know about approaches of women towards labour pain management? A qualitative interview study into expectations of management of labour pain for pregnant women receiving midwife-led care in the Netherlands.

Objective: to investigate factors important to women receiving midwife-led care with regard to their expectations for management of labour pain.

Design: semi-structured ante partum interviews and analyses using constant comparison method.

Participants: fifteen pregnant women between 36 and 40 weeks gestation receiving midwife-led care.

Inhaled analgesia for pain management in labour.

Background: Many women would like to have a choice in pain relief during labour and also would like to avoid invasive methods of pain management in labour. Inhaled analgesia during labour involves the self-administered inhalation of sub-anaesthetic concentrations of agents while the mother remains awake and her protective laryngeal reflexes remain intact. Most of the agents are easy to administer, can be started in less than a minute and become effective within a minute.

Evaluation of primary care midwifery in The Netherlands: design and rationale of a dynamic cohort study (DELIVER).

Background: In the Netherlands, midwives are autonomous medical practitioners and 78% of pregnant women start their maternity care with a primary care midwife. Scientific research to support evidence-based practice in primary care midwifery in the Netherlands has been sparse. This paper describes the research design and methodology of the multicenter multidisciplinary prospective DELIVER study which is the first large-scale study evaluating the quality and provision of primary midwifery care.