None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
The PAUSEMATTERS Study investigates natural pauses during childbirth, so-called physiological plateaus. This study seeks to generate high-quality data on the prevalence (how often), timing (when) and duration (how long) of physiological plateaus in healthy labour, including how such plateaus may affect the mother’s and newborn’s health. This study applies a cohort design, meaning that data is collected in a group of women, during and soon after birth. Participants in this study include women who plan a homebirth in Western Australia with the support of a midwife.
Interventions
This is a prospective observational cohort study with no intervention. The study applies a co-design approach with ongoing engagement of community members across all study phases.
Women who plan a homebirth with a collaborating midwife in Western Australia are invited to participate in this study on a strictly voluntary basis. Women who chose to participate in this study continue to be cared for by their chosen midwife/midwives with no change in the care that is provided to them (this study inv
This is a prospective observational cohort study with no intervention. The study applies a co-design approach with ongoing engagement of community members across all study phases. Women who plan a homebirth with a collaborating midwife in Western Australia are invited to participate in this study on a strictly voluntary basis. Women who chose to participate in this study continue to be cared for by their chosen midwife/midwives with no change in the care that is provided to them (this study involves no intervention). After the woman gives birth, her midwife completes a questionnaire (approx. 20 minutes online or approx. 30 minutes via interview), providing information about the woman's labour and maternal and neonatal birth outcomes. The questionnaire supplements information that is included in the midwives' routinely taken birth records (NOCA form ["Notification of Case Attendance"] and handwritten birth notes), of which copies are also provided to the research team. This data (NOCA form + birth notes + questionnaire) is shared with the research team by the midwife within two weeks after the woman's birth and contains the following key data items: 1. Labour pattern and key events (such as labour onset, rupture of membranes) 2. Birth outcomes for mother and infant/s (such as birth mode, intrapartum core outcome set) 3. Physiological plateaus (such as occurrence of slowing/pausing/stopping labour patterns, including the timing and duration of these events) 4. Birth environment (such as birth setting, people present) 5. Medical interventions during labour and after birth (such as labour augmentation) 6. Maternal and or fetal/neonatal complications Subsequently, within 12 weeks following birth, the woman who birthed provides additional information about her birth experience (same data items as above, but from the woman's perspective). Birth partners are also invited to co-participate in this study if the participating woman prefers this. Data collection from the woman who birthed takes place via questionnaire (online, approximately 20 minutes) or interview (face-to-face/online/phone, approximately 30 minutes), based on the woman's preference. The total duration of participation is from enrolment in this study (at any point in pregnancy >12 weeks gestation) until up to 12 weeks after birth.
Sponsors
Edith Cowan University
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
0 to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
Inclusion criteria for primary participant pool (women who birth and their newborns): 1. women aged greater than or equal to 18 years 2. resident in Western Australia (WA) at the time of data collection 3. pregnant greater than or equal to 12 weeks of gestation (12 weeks and 0 days or longer) 4. birth planned at home, or commenced at home, with the support of a midwife (see note below) 5. consent to participate (voluntary participation) Note: Women who commence a birth at home with the support of a midwife and transfer to hospital during labour (e.g., due to a change of preferences, or due to emerging risk factors), remain eligible for participation irrespective of the eventual birth setting. Note: All neonates born to women who participate in this study will be enrolled in this study as participants, and basic neonatal data (e.g. APGAR score) will be collected via the maternal birth record. Inclusion criteria for secondary participant pool (co-participants, birth partner/s): 1. birth partner, defined as a person who was chosen by the participating woman to provide support during birth (e.g., spouse, family member, friend, doula, etc.) 2. was present during labour and/or birth 3. aged greater than or equal to 18 years 4. consent to participate
Exclusion criteria
Exclusion criteria for primary participant pool (women who birth and their newborns): 1. planned birth at a hospital or birth centre 2. birth without any support of a midwife (see note below) 3. preterm birth (below 37 weeks and 0 days gestation) Note: Women who have planned a homebirth with the support of a midwife and end up birthing before the midwife arrives (so-called birth before attendance) remain eligible for participation. Women who plan a birth without the support of a midwife (so-called freebirth) are ineligible to participate in this study. Exclusion criteria for secondary participant pool (co-participants, birth partner/s): 1. the participating woman prefers her birth partner/s not to be involved in this study 2. unavailable during the time of the interview or unable to complete online questionnaire
Outcome results
None listed