Childbirth Companionship: A Systematic Review of Mothers’ Experiences of Support Companions during Labour

Abstract

Background: Childbirth is a difficult and stressful experience in a mother’s life. Despite the benefits of having a supportive companion during labour, many mothers, especially in LMICs countries, deliver without companionship. Aim: The main aim of this systematic review is to examine women’s experiences and perceptions regarding birth companionships during labour. Method: A systematic review of existing studies on mothers’ experiences of childbirth companionships had been conducted, depending on the inclusion criteria. CINAHL, MEDLINE, SCOPUS and SCIENCEDIRECT were used to search for relevant studies. Seven studies were selected after using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP). After extracting data from the included studies, themes were classified using thematic synthesis. Results: Seven studies out of 262 ones were included in the synthesis due to their relevance to the research questions which examined mothers’ experiences of childbirth companionships. The methods used in the included studies were a qualitative exploratory method, a descriptive one, or a mixture of both. Appraising these studies as a good quality work was crucial to their inclusion in the synthesis. Two main themes were identified in this review: 1) mothers’ perceptions on their companions’ support which had three subthemes (psychological, physical, and informational support). The first subtheme had two categories: encouragement/emotional support and spiritual support, and 2) the preferred companions to support mothers during labour. Conclusion: Based on the mothers’ experiences of childbirth companionships, one can say that companionship during labour is necessary as it helps to meet the mothers’ needs and to improve labour outcomes. However, there is a lack of awareness or understanding about the benefits of birth companionships during labour, especially in LMICs countries because of socio-cultural and/or religious factors. Prenatal education is hence needed to explain the important role of childbirth companionships.