[Individual birth. Results of a longitudinal study].

This paper goes into the question as to how greatly mother and father desire an individualised kind of delivery, how this wish is realised, and how it is valued many years later. The basic demand was a safe delivery-safe for both mother and child. For the purpose of analysis and study, 170 women were asked to register their opinion before being admitted to the labour ward, on the following points: for example, presence of the partner, free mobility during the first stage of labour, avoidance of analgesics, positioning the baby on the mother's belly, use of the obstetric chair, rooming-in, breast feeding, etc. Changes in the mother's behaviour during birth, as well as the interaction between mother, child and partner were observed. During the puerperium the delivery was critically assessed by the mother, and her ideas regarding delivery at a future time were recorded. It is possible to show that under the conditions of a safe, monitored birth (uncorrected perinatal mortality 1980-1983 0.71%) the individual wishes of the patients can be met. All mothers whose partners had been present during delivery, assessed this fact positively. Likewise, 100% of the mothers whose baby had been positioned on their belly after birth, considered this to be pleasant. 77% of them actively caressed the newborn in this position. 68% of the mothers talked to the child within the first 15 minutes. 86% kept the newborn for more than an hour in their bed. Of the fathers present during delivery, 55% caressed the newborn, and 50% talked to it within the first 15 minutes.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)