Exploring views on normal birth in the Nordic and Baltic regions: a cross-national qualitative study with midwives working in hospital birth settings
Our findings illustrate midwives' dedication to promote healthy, physiological birthing processes, which stands as a core value of their profession. Hindrances exist in the hospital birth setting that impact healthy outcomes. The widespread use of the term normal birth is challenging. This study invites rethinking birth narratives supporting exploration of other terms, such as healthy birth, to better capture the philosophy and practice of midwifery.
Authors
- Ingela Sjöblom
- Ilze Ansule (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6850-645X)
- Christina Furskog Risa (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5165-1645)
- Maria Ekelin (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3139-6880)
- Berit Mortensen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1036-7338)
- Kirsten Hasman
- Torhild Borlaug
- Terese Österberg
- Ólöf Ásta Ólafsdóttir
- Eline Skirnisdottir Vik
- Valgerður Lísa Sigurðardóttir
- Alina Liepinaitienė
- Pernilla Stenbäck
Institutions
- Novia University of Applied Sciences (FI)
- University of Iceland (IS)
- Western Norway University of Applied Sciences (NO)
- OsloMet – Oslo Metropolitan University (NO)
- Lund University (SE)
- Vytautas Magnus University (LT)
- Arcada University of Applied Sciences (FI)
- University College Copenhagen (DK)
- Stavanger Health Research (Norway) (NO)
- Riga Stradiņš University (LV)
- University of Stavanger (NO)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Sexual & Reproductive Healthcare
- Published
- 2026-02-19
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.srhc.2026.101198
- Primary Topic
- Maternal and Perinatal Health Interventions
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00