Deep and quality relationship between and among the pregnant/laboring woman, her healthcare providers, and the people around her indeed plays a huge part in the overall journey of her pregnancy towards achieving a positive pregnancy outcome. Respectful Maternity Care (RMC) primarily advocates in promoting better maternal health care for all women from preconception up until postpartum period while encompassing ethical principles and respect towards a woman’s choices, preferences, feelings, and dignity about her pregnancy. It was introduced that general components of respectful maternity care include “providing safe and timely care, nurturing positive interactions between midwives and women, protecting confidentiality, maintaining an active role in the labor process, obtaining the women’s consent before performing procedures, providing information regarding procedures to women, respecting patient privacy, and promoting freedom of choice as it related to position for labor and birth (Moridi, Pazendeh, Haijan, & Potrata, 2020).”
In the qualitative study conducted by Moridi, Pazendeh, Haijan, and Potrata (2020), the perception of midwives about respectful maternity care during labor and childbirth was gathered. Findings revealed that the main themes of respectful maternity care for the Iranian midwives interviewed comprises empathy, women-centered care, and rights protection.
Firstly, it was presented that showing empathy is achieved through building deeper and more meaningful relationships with the pregnant patients. As future parents, these women are already going through so much physical, mental, and emotional changes as they come closer to childbirth or delivery of their baby. It was revealed in the study that showing empathy evokes respect as it makes the patients feel that they are valued and understood, and that their unique situation will progress safely and healthily. Effective measures of showing empathy may also be through the use of kind words and respectful language to allow the pregnant patients to be more comfortable as they communicate and receive maternal care interventions from their healthcare providers, as well as support from their families and loved ones.
The second theme that arose from the qualitative answers from the Iranian interviewees was women-centered care. This type of care not only covers physically caring for the pregnant patient and the developing fetus but also encompassess respect towards the woman’s capability of accurate decision-making in consideration of the holistic health of the mother-baby relationship. First, this theme highlights that a respectful and women-centered maternity care is based on performing evidenced-based, sufficient, and safe interventions. Treatments and medical procedures that are irrelevant and do not have any type of medical indication should be eliminated to avoid the possibility of inducing further harm to the patient and fetus. The 40 year-old midwife interviewee with a PhD in reproductive health also mentioned that timely presence at the bedside is also part of a respectful and woman-centered care since delays in performing the vital interventions may cause undesirable consequences for both the mother and child. The other component under this theme is respecting the capacity of the patient to make her own decisions. It is important for healthcare providers to give regard to their patient’s decision provided that they laid out sufficient information on the possible result of what they arrived at.
The last theme formed as a component of respectful maternity care is rights protection. This covers the provision of a safe and caring environment that gives comfort and values equality, privacy, and non-discrimination. One Iranian interviewee responded that preserving the dignity of laboring women can be established by preventing any type of mistreatment and allowing utmost privacy especially since pregnancy can be a private matter for a person. It is also the right of laboring women to be treated equally and to be treated right regardless of age, race, and social status. All these qualify as components of Respectful Maternity Care.
Indeed, it is truly important to advocate for setting the standards for Respectful Maternity Care, along with community action and mobilization to promote social accountability. Respecting women in their gestational age through showing empathy, enhancing women-centered care, giving regards to their capacity to decide for themselves, and protecting their basic rights is of huge importance to promote empowerment and comfort, and eliminate lasting damage or emotional trauma. All these can therefore promote a happy pregnancy and positive neonatal outcomes.
Article: Moridi M., Pazandeh F., Hajian S., & Potrata B. (2020). Midwives’ perspectives of respectful maternity care during childbirth: A qualitative study. PLoS ONE 15(3): e0229941. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0229941