Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2021 Sep 1;64(3):704-711.
doi: 10.1097/GRF.0000000000000633.

Spirituality in Pregnancy

Mary B Keegan  1
Affiliations

Spirituality in Pregnancy

Mary B Keegan. Clin Obstet Gynecol. .

Abstract

Spirituality with its impact on health outcomes continues to emerge in the medical literature. This article discusses the role of spirituality in pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum. It highlights the importance of more fully integrating this concept into births traditionally attended by physicians and midwives in the hospital setting. This discussion covers birthing practices ingrained with culture and spirituality. The article concludes with strategies to elicit and integrate spirituality into routine practice to provide improved health care to patients and to find more fulfillment in the role as birth attendant.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Weathers E. What Is Spirituality? In: Timmons F, Caldeira S, eds. Spirituality in Healthcare: Perspectives for Innovative Practice . New York: Springer International Publishing; 2019:1–22.
    1. Callister LC, Khalaf I. Spirituality in childbearing women. J Perinat Educ. 2010;19:16–24.
    1. Crowther SA, Hall J, Balabanoff D, et al. Spirituality and childbirth: an international virtual co–operative inquiry. Women Birth. 2021;34:e135–e145.
    1. OBoyle C, Brady V. Spirituality and Childbirth. In: Timmons F, Caldeira S, eds. Spirituality in Healthcare: Perspectives for Innovative Practice . New York: Springer International Publishing; 2019:83–96.
    1. Lydon-Lam J. Models of spirituality and consideration of spiritual assessment. Int J Childbirth Educ. 2012;27:18–23.

LinkOut - more resources