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The setting in which a woman labours, influences her birth experience. Ninety-seven
percent of women in Australia give birth in conventional hospital birth suites, where
medical safety often overshadows attention to psychological needs. Sensory information
from the external environment can help decrease pain, fear, and stress through oxytocin-mediated neurohormonal
processes. No place is this more urgently needed than in the hospital birth suite.
This proof-of-concept study aimed to explore women’s and midwives' experiences of
using an immersive sensory experience (ISE) during labour.
We installed a screen projecting nature-themed films and conducted a thematic analysis
of interviews with 32 women who laboured in this setting. All the women received continuity
of midwifery care from caseload midwives. Four in five women had medical or obstetric
risk factors, and two-thirds had their labour induced. Semi-structured interviews
were conducted with nine midwives who worked in caseload and had cared for women who
used the ISE.
Three themes emerged from interviews with women: 1) Serenity and calm; 2) Redirection
of attention; and 3) Immersive feeling. Three themes emerged from interviews with
midwives: 1) The ISE aligned with midwives’ identity and birthing philosophies; 2)
The ISE inspired care practices that supported physiology; and 3) The ISE improved
midwives’ experience of providing care. The findings are consistent with research
demonstrating the effects of physical attributes of the environment on caregiver behaviour
and women’s experiences.
Overwhelmingly these finding demonstrate that midwives, women, and their partners
enjoyed the immersive experience and how it positively improved the birth setting
to optimise physiological labour and birth. No safety concerns were identified, and
midwives reported positive feedback from colleagues.
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© 2022 Published by Elsevier Inc.
