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    Midwifery practice : authenticating the experience of childbirth : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Nursing at Massey University
    (Massey University, 1988) Bassett-Smith, Joan L
    The purpose of this grounded theory study was to identify, describe and provide a conceptual explanation of the process of care offered by midwives and the effects of that care on women's experiences of childbirth in hospital. Ten couple participants and their attendant midwives provided the major source of data. The primary data collection methods used in this study were participant observation during each couple's experience of labour and birthing, antenatal, hospital and postnatal interviews with couples along with formal and informal interviews with midwives. Constant comparative analysis of data eventuated in the identification of a core category termed 'authenticating'. Authenticating, in the context of this study denotes a process that is engaged in by both midwives and birthing women in order to establish practice, and the experience of giving birth, as being individually genuine and valid. Authenticating is multifaceted and is seen to include the intertwined and simultaneously occurring phases of 'making sense', 'reframing', 'balancing' and 'mutually engaging'. The process of authenticating is proposed as a possible conceptual framework for midwifery practice. It identifies the unique contribution the midwife can make to a couple's experience of childbirth and serves in a conceptual way to unite the technical and interpersonal expertness of the midwife. The conceptual framework of authenticating legitimises 'being with' women in childbirth and facilitates a woman-centred approach to care with consequent implications for practice, education and research.
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    Midwifery practice : unfettered or shackled? : a thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master Arts in Nursing, Massey University
    (Massey University, 1992) Moloney, Jocelyn A
    This thesis examines the ways that neophyte midwives experience their everyday practice world. The critical reflexive analysis of the perceptions of five practising midwives illustrate how socially generated constraints function to restrict professional midwifery care. This approach directs attention toward generating emancipatory knowledge which may assist midwives to overcome some of the contradictory and constraining conditions of their practice. The theoretical assumptions of critical social science expose for critique the ways in which socio-political forces constrain individual and professional action. There is an underlying assumption that the collaborative nature of the research process will enable midwives to make deliberate choices between alternative courses of action. This may be achieved by subjecting values and intentions to inquiry in the light of structural constraints on individual practice situations. The study is particularly timely when legislative changes continue to contribute to the changing context of midwifery practice. The research process and the findings of this study may provide the basis for an ongoing open-ended dialogue and critique so that midwives may be enabled to transform their practice world through collective action. Although political action was not demonstrated in the time frame of this study, it is argued that engaging participants in critique will provide the basis for an ongoing liberating effect toward autonomy and self-determination in midwifery practice.
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    Home sweet home birth : a qualitative study on the perceptions and experiences of home birth : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Psychology at Massey University
    (Massey University, 1994) Griffin, Helen Mary
    The management of pregnancy and childbirth, and the home as a location of birth, are all topics subject to considerable debate. Such debate often relies on emotive appeal rather than reference to relevant research. A series of three interviews were conducted with seven women planning home births. The most important reasons why women decided to have a home birth were the desire to have an established relationship with their midwife, wanting continuity of care from their midwife, wanting family involvement in the birth and wishing to retain control and avoid interventions. Postnatally, in most instances, high levels of satisfaction were expressed by women about the quantity and quality of information they received, the care they received from health professionals, their satisfaction with the birth experience and with their relationships with health professionals. Most women did not experience feelings of loss of control at the birth and the majority of women did not experience feelings of depression postnatally. Women's perceptions of pregnancy and childbirth were in accordance with the midwifery model of childbirth and it is proposed that women seeking home births hold a deeper and more encompassing belief in the tenets of the midwifery model in comparison to women who have hospital births. Findings are also in accordance with other research, both national and international.