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Factors influencing decisions to homebirth among pregnant women in Mpongwe District, Zambia

2018; MA Healthcare; Volume: 12; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês

10.12968/ajmw.2018.12.2.73

2052-4293

Francis Chityaka, Catherine Ngoma,

Maternal and Perinatal Health Interventions

Background: Homebirths have far-reaching consequences for the expectant mother and her baby as most of these are assisted by unskilled birth attendants. Reducing homebirths could lead to improved maternal and infant health. Aims: To determine factors influencing expectant women to have a homebirth. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted. A pre-tested, semi structured interview schedule was used to assess factors influencing homebirths among 80 expectant mothers attending an antenatal clinic. Findings: Overall, 60% of the respondents had their previous babies at home. Most (92%) of the respondents said that they would give birth to their next child at a health facility, and the majority (68%) preferred to have a female skilled birth attendant. Some 52% of the respondents had low levels of knowledge on the complications of labour and delivery. The study found that homebirths were significantly associated with the educational level of the woman and distance to the health facility. Conclusions: The majority of the expectant mothers had given birth at home before but had low knowledge on complications of homebirths. There is need to intensify community sensitisation on the dangers of homebirth to prevent maternal and neonatal mortality and morbidity.