GOLD Learning Speakers

“Incomplete, inaccurate, biased or unavailable patient education, resources and lack of opportunity for pregnant patients to have meaningful conversations with their healthcare providers about their individual care” (Stirling, Vanbeisien & McDougall, 2018, p. 13) is a major setback when women are being facilitated with childbirth-choices. Initiating the facilitation of childbirth-choices early in pregnancy gives the woman some time to weigh the options and for the healthcare provider to clear any misconceptions relating to childbirth types, yet this is a largely un-investigated area of concern in Namibia. Improving the outcomes for women to have a positive childbirth experience and ensure that the SDG 3 of health for all is achieved exploring the experiences of women and that of midwives was important to ensure the former. Taking into consideration the Universal Rights of Childbearing women and Respectful maternity care (RMC) with a special focus on two of the rights which are “right to information, informed consent and refusal and respect of her choices and preferences, including the right to her choice of companionship during maternity care &” and “right to liberty, autonomy and self-determination and freedom from coercion”. This presentation will contextualize the experiences of women and midwives alike in the facilitation of childbirth-choices. A developed model that will help midwives in the facilitation of childbirth-choices for a positive childbirth experience for women and their families.