Participation

 

Of the 30 initial participants, 27 expectant mothers completed the pre-survey. Of those, 13 completed the post-survey.

 

Demographics for Pre-Survey

 

Participants were located in the US, Canada, England, and Australia. They ranged from ages 17 to 33 years and had expected due-dates for their labor between October 20 and December 2, 2013. From data in the pre-survey, 11 participants had experienced labor through at least one previous pregnancy and 16 were anticipating their first experience with labor. 15 mothers were expecting female children, 9 male, and 3 mothers were unaware of their child's gender. 12 participants expressed that they were dealing with medical issues. Of these issues, the most common were gestational diabetes, pre-eclampsia, and depression.  

 

Pre-existing knowledge and Expectations

 

All participants had previous exposure to birth stories through various means, and unanimously through online sources. Half of the mothers hear these through word of mouth and childbirth education classes, and more than half gathered these from books. The majority of women desired to have an unmedicated birth with low interventions, but expressed an understanding that this had the potential to change depending on how labor progressed. Those who mentioned that they were planning scheduled C-section asserted the medical or social necessity of their decision. All participants had prior knowledge of the birth process, almost entirely through web searches but also commonly via friends and family, doctors, childbirth educators, and previous births.

 

All but two participants expected to learn something from reading these stories. They anticipated to gain comfort, guidance for pain management, exposure to various birth experiences and possibilities, helpful tips for handling the process, and first-hand anecdotal information about certain medical procedures and interventions. 

 

Demographics for Post-Survey

 

Those participants who completed the post-survey were located in the US, Canada, and Australia. Of the 13 new mothers, four delivered earlier than their due date and nine delivered late. The total time of labor ranged from 6 to 36 hours.

 

Post-birth Reflections

 

Regarding how their actual experiences differed from their expectations, over half of the women expressed that their birth was very different than what they anticipated. Most participants were generally happy with their birth experience regardless of how it matched with their plans. Those who expressed disappointment also remarked that they were coming to peace with the outcomes for various reasons. 

 

Use of the /r/birthstories Library

 

Although most users read a variety of stories, those that were avoided were categorized as "sad," "C-section," "induction," and "deviations from birth plans." When asked how they immediately felt after reading the stories, most expressed a feeling of comfort and confidence. Participants commented that what they immediately learned from reading was to be prepared for deviations from birth plans, pain management techniques, and that all experiences are unique. Although some users mentioned that viewing uploaded pictures of newborns attached to the stories helped to make them more personal, most did not even look at these photos. 

 

Evidence of Learning Achieved

 

When asked if they were able to recall any information from these stories during the act of childbirth, the most common responses were memory of some terminology to identify issues they encountered, pain management techniques, and the confidence to self-advocate and to persist in the labor process. Readers generally thought that these stories prepared them by empowering them to make it through labor and strive for a positive experience. It also gave women who had a more specific birth plan due to medical or social reasons the comfort that others had shared this experience and were happy with the outcome.

 

Of the participants who left additional comments, most expressed their pleasure in reading these stories and gratitude for having easier access to them through the subreddit. 

 

Continue to Discussion