Features of midwives’ support at a birth center to promote co-parenting

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to clarify the features of midwives’ supports to promote co-parenting at a birth center.

Methods: Using a qualitative descriptive study with semi-structured interviews, interviews were conducted with two midwives working at a birth center in Kanagawa Prefecture in August 2022. The recorded interviews were transcribed verbatim, and narratives related to the purpose of the study were extracted, coded, subcategorized, and categorized for analysis. Ethical considerations were considered.

Results: The analysis showed the following 5 categories and 13 subcategories: "Promotion of the couple's teamwork skills with dialogue as the main focus",  "Promotion of the construction of a child-centered life and family",  "Coordination that values the couple's sense of tempo" , "Understanding the husband's level of cooperation in childcare and housework after childbirth", and "Joint exploration toward the acquisition of childcare in the couple's own style".

Discussion: The findings show that midwives support the promotion of couple’s co-parenting through maintenance of good couple’s relationships and smooth communication, which includes the promotion of verbalization of each other's thoughts and feelings, and the inclusion of other family relationships. This suggests that supporting the construction of family functions by capturing changes in the relationship between the family and the people around them is important. It is also important to support the construction of good relationships between each couple and their children, understand the individuality and ideas of the couple, and propose child-rearing methods that are less burdensome. This can be achieved because the midwife offers guidance so the parents can find suitable child-rearing methods.