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BACKGROUND: In Australia and internationally, there is concern about the growing proportion of women giving birth by caesarean section. There is evidence of increased risk of placenta accreta and percreta in subsequent pregnancies as well as decreased fertility; and significant resource implications. Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of continuity of midwifery care have reported reduced caesareans and other interventions in labour, as well as increased maternal satisfaction, with no statistically significant differences in perinatal morbidity or mortality. RCTs conducted in the UK and in Australia have largely measured the effect of teams of care providers (commonly 6-12 midwives) with very few testing caseload (one-to-one) midwifery care. This study aims to determine whether caseload (one-to-one) midwifery care for women at low risk of medical complications decreases the proportion of women delivering by caesarean section compared with women receiving 'standard' care. This paper presents the trial protocol in detail. METHODS/DESIGN: A two-arm RCT design will be used. Women who are identified at low medical risk will be recruited from the antenatal booking clinics of a tertiary women's hospital in Melbourne, Australia. Baseline data will be collected, then women randomised to caseload midwifery or standard low risk care. Women allocated to the caseload intervention will receive antenatal, intrapartum and postpartum care from a designated primary midwife with one or two antenatal visits conducted by a 'back-up' midwife. The midwives will collaborate with obstetricians and other health professionals as necessary. If the woman has an extended labour, or if the primary midwife is unavailable, care will be provided by the back-up midwife. For women allocated to standard care, options include midwifery-led care with varying levels of continuity, junior obstetric care and community based general medical practitioner care. Data will be collected at recruitment (self admin

Background: Parental education classes are part of the national child health promotion programme of the Swedish Child Health Clinics (CHC). Aim: To investigate attendance at parental education classes during the infant's first year, and to identify factors associated with non-attendance in primiparous women. Methods: Swedish-speaking women were recruited from 97% of all antenatal clinics in Sweden during 3 wk, evenly spread over 1 y from 1999 to 2000. Questionnaires were mailed in early pregnancy, and at 2 mo and 1 y after the birth. Two thousand, four hundred and forty women answered the main outcome question about class attendance asked in the third questionnaire, and 1076 of these were first-time mothers. Results: Seventy-eight per cent of the primiparas attended classes and 31% of the multiparas. Factors associated with non-attendance in primiparas were: native language other than Swedish, a low level of education, smoking during pregnancy, inconvenient timing of pregnancy, maternal hospital admission, and infant health problems. Three per cent of the primiparas did not attend classes either during pregnancy or after the birth, and this group seemed to constitute an even less privileged group.

We investigated the prevalence of postnatal depressive mood in a national Swedish sample, together with factors associated with depressed mood postpartum only as opposed to having depressed mood both in early pregnancy and postpartum. Swedish‐speaking women booked for antenatal care during a chosen period of three recruitment weeks were invited and 3293 (72%) agreed to participate in the study. Of these women, 2674 (81%) completed two questionnaires, one in early pregnancy and another 2 months postpartum. Depressive mood was assessed by the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) and the validated Swedish cut‐off of 11/12 was used. In all, 12.3% scored above the threshold postpartum depressed mood, that being 6.5% postpartum only (‘post’ group) and 5.8% both in pregnancy and postpartum (‘ante and post’ group). Unemployment, lack of support, and physical health problems were the most important factors associated with a postpartum depressed mood in both groups. Women in the ‘ante and post’ group were more socially disadvantaged with increased relative risks in most of the factors that were investigated. Postnatal problems such as dissatisfaction with support from relatives and factors related to the infant were only associated with a depressed mood in the ‘post’ group. Obtaining a psychosocial history in early pregnancy, including factors associated with a depressed mood, may be the first step towards identifying and providing individualized care for women at risk of sustained or recurrent depressive mood during pregnancy and the postpartum period.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate first-time mothers' views about antenatal childbirth and parenthood education and their contact with other class participants after birth, and to compare participants and non-participants with respect to the use of pain relief, experience of pain, mode of delivery, childbirth overall, duration of breastfeeding, and assessment of parental skills. METHODS: A national cohort of 1197 Swedish-speaking women completed three questionnaires: during early pregnancy, 2 months, and 1 year after giving birth. RESULTS: Seventy-four percent of first-time mothers stated that antenatal education helped prepare them for childbirth, and 40% for early parenthood. One year after giving birth, 58% of the mothers had met with other class participants. These outcomes were associated with the number of class sessions. When controlling for the selection of women into participants and non-participants, no statistical differences were found concerning memory of labor pain, mode of delivery, overall birth experience, duration of breastfeeding, and assessment of parental skills. However, participants had a higher rate of epidural analgesia. Mothers who were young, single, with low level of education, living in a small city, and smokers were less likely to find the classes helpful. CONCLUSION: Participation in childbirth and parenthood education classes did not seem to affect first-time mothers' experience of childbirth and assessment of parental skills, but expanded their social network of new parents. The higher epidural rate suggests that participation in classes made women more aware of pain relief techniques available, rather than improving their own coping with pain. More research should focus on current forms of antenatal education, with special focus on women of low socioeconomic status.

BACKGROUND: The national recommendation in Sweden regarding number of antenatal care visits was reduced in 1996. The aim of this study was to explore the factors associated with number of visits made and with women's own opinions about these visits. Another aim was to study associations between the number of visits and satisfaction with antenatal care overall. METHODS: All Swedish-speaking women who came for their first visit to the midwife in 593 participating clinics during 3 weeks evenly spread over 1 year in 1999-2000 were invited to participate in the study. Information was collected by postal questionnaires after the booking visit and 2 months after childbirth. Cases of preterm delivery and intrauterine death were excluded. RESULTS: After excluding miscarriages, non-Swedish-speaking women, and women booked at non-participating clinics, about 69% of all women booked in antenatal care were recruited. Of these, 2421 (83%) completed the two questionnaires. About 25% followed the standard visiting schedule for a normal pregnancy, 57% made more visits, and 17% fewer visits. The number of visits made was associated with parity, medical diagnosis, depressive symptoms, level of education, and women's preferences in early pregnancy. Women's own opinion that they made too few visits was associated with a preference for more visits in early pregnancy and actually receiving fewer visits than the standard schedule. The view that they made too many visits was associated with a previous negative birth experience, a wish for fewer visits, having a medical diagnosis, many children, and major worries. The vast majority of women (87.6%) were satisfied with antenatal care overall but less with emotional (76.9%) than with medical (82.3%) aspects. No association was found between number of visits made and satisfaction, but women's own opinion that they had too few visits was associated with dissatisfaction with medical as well as emotional aspects of care and the opinion that they m

BACKGROUND: A woman's dissatisfaction with the experience of labor and birth may affect her emotional well-being and willingness to have another baby. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence and risk factors of a negative birth experience in a national sample. METHODS: A longitudinal cohort study of 2541 women recruited from all antenatal clinics in Sweden during 3 weeks spread over 1 year was conducted. Data were collected by three questionnaires, which measured women's global experience of labor and birth 1 year after the birth, and obtained information on possible risk factors during pregnancy and 2 months after the birth. RESULTS: Seven percent of the women had a negative birth experience. The following risk factors were found: (1) factors related to unexpected medical problems, such as emergency operative delivery, induction, augmentation of labor, and infant transfer to neonatal care; (2) factors related to the woman's social life, such as unwanted pregnancy and lack of support from partner; (3) factors related to the woman's feelings during labor, such as pain and lack of control; and (4) factors that may be easier to influence by the caregivers, such as insufficient time allocated to the woman's own questions at antenatal checkups, lack of support during labor, and administration of obstetric analgesia. CONCLUSIONS: Many risk factors were related to unexpected medical problems and participants' social background. Of the established methods to improve women's birth experience, childbirth education and obstetric analgesia seemed to be less effective, whereas support in labor and listening to the woman's own issues may be underestimated

OBJECTIVE: to investigate the attendance rate at childbirth and parenthood education classes during pregnancy in a national Swedish sample and describe the characteristics of women who did not attend. DESIGN: a cohort study utilising a postal questionnaire in early pregnancy and at 2 months after birth. SETTING: women were recruited from 97% of all antenatal clinics in Sweden at their first 'booking' visit during three different weeks spread over 1 year in 1999-2000. PARTICIPANTS: 2546 women, who were 77% of those who consented to participate in the study and 55% of all women eligible for the study. MEASUREMENT AND FINDINGS: most primiparous women (93%) attended classes and the majority of the multiparae (81%) did not. Having a native language other than Swedish was associated with non-attendance in both primiparae and multiparae (OR 2.7, 95% CI 1.3-5.4; OR 2.1, 95% CI 1.4-3.1). In addition, the following factors were associated with non-attendance in the primiparae: unemployment (OR 2.0, 95% CI 1.1-3.8), smoking during pregnancy (OR 2.7, 95% CI 1.2-5.8), having considered abortion (OR 4.3, 95% CI 1.2-16.1), and having had few antenatal check-ups (OR 2.0, 95% CI 1.1-3.7). The following factors were associated with non-attendance in the multiparae: age older than 35 years (OR 1.6, 95% CI 1.1-2.3), low level of education (OR 3.6, 95% CI 2.3-5.7), and pregnancy unplanned but welcome (OR 1.5, 95% CI 1.1-2.0), having had counselling because of fear of childbirth (OR 1.6, 95% CI 1.1-2.4), and expressing a need of such counselling (OR 1.9, 95% CI 1.1-3.1). KEY CONCLUSIONS: the childbirth and parenthood education programme reached the majority of pregnant women, and that non-attendees were more disadvantaged in terms of socio-demographic background and feelings about the approaching birth. These women should be given special attention during the antenatal check-ups so that childbirth and parenthood education could be adapted to their specific needs.