Nurse Midwives’ Perspectives on Women’s Vocalization During the First and Second Stages of Labor: A Qualitative Study
<b>Background/Objectives:</b> Women's vocalization during labor can be highly influenced by the attitudes and practices of nurse midwives. This study analyzed the perspectives of nurse midwives regarding women's vocalization in the first and second stages of labor (<i>n</i> = 16). <b>Methods:</b> Descriptive study using semi-structured interviews analyzed through lexical analysis with IraMuTeQ software. Data collection took place between February and April 2024. <b>Results:</b> The analysis revealed six thematic classes: "Attitude toward vocalization", "Significance of women's self-image", "Resistance and acceptance of vocalization", "Control and inhibition of vocalization", "Advantages and disadvantages of vocalization", and "Usefulness of vocalization in caregiving". <b>Conclusions:</b> There are different attitudes among nurse midwives toward women's vocalization, ranging from respect to paternalistic control. Practical implications include the urgent need for curricular modules on vocalization in midwifery training programs and the deconstruction of biases that silence women's voices during childbirth.
Authors
- Isabel Cristina Correa Pereira (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0006-3456-544X)
- Margarida Sim-Sim (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0028-2664)
- Maria Otília Brites Zangão (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2899-8768)
Institutions
- University of Évora (PT)
- Administração Regional de Saúde de Lisboa e Vale do Tejo (PT)
- Universidade Politécnica de Portalegre (PT)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Healthcare
- Published
- 2025-09-27
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare13192451
- Primary Topic
- Infant Health and Development
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00