Why do Women Choose Birth at Home in Türkiye: Metaphor Analysis

A metaphors could be used as a strong research tool to understand, reveal and explain the cognitive images of birth at home. This study aimed to reveal the perceptions of birth at home via metaphors. This study was designed in the qualitative pattern. The population of the study included 13 women. Data were collected between June-July 2022. To collect data, each woman was asked to complete the blanks in the sentence, ‘For me, birth at home is like a/an…….because………’. The data were analyzed using qualitative data analysis methods. According to the findings of the study, the perceptions of birth at home which means staying at home to give birth revealed 10 metaphors in total. The metaphors were grouped under 5 conceptual categories depending on the characteristics they had in common. In case, it is inevitable to make policies regarding home birth services and provide a safe environment for home birth even if it is not legal. Furthermore, it is recommended to conduct qualitative and mixed-pattern studies with larger samples aiming to reveal mental images that enable multidimensional examination of home birth. This paper introduces the concept of birth at home as a powerful symbol. Keywords: birth at home, choice of birth settings, cognitive images, metaphor.