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
. 2025 Jan-Feb;70(1):96-103.
doi: 10.1111/jmwh.13685. Epub 2024 Sep 9.

The Impact of Obesity on Childbirth Expectations

Tamara A Messer  1 , Fabienne Blank  1 , Jean Anthony Grand-Guillaume-Perrenoud  1 , Evelyne M Aubry  1
Affiliations

The Impact of Obesity on Childbirth Expectations

Tamara A Messer et al. J Midwifery Womens Health. 2025 Jan-Feb.

Abstract

Introduction: Positive childbirth expectations are crucial for fostering a positive labor experience and enhancing the health and well-being of both the woman and her newborn. However, the impact of obesity on childbirth expectations remains underexplored. We aim to assess childbirth expectations in women living with obesity to enhance perinatal care tailored to their specific needs.

Methods: Using an adapted version of the Childbirth Expectation Questionnaire (CEQ) in a nationwide online survey, we assessed expectations on childbirth of pregnant women living in Switzerland. We performed one-way analysis of variance and independent t tests to analyze associations between childbirth expectations and women's characteristics such as body mass index (BMI). Binomial logistic regressions estimated the likelihood of positive birth expectations occurring based on individual and contextual factors.

Results: In total, 961 pregnant women responded to the CEQ through social media. Increased BMI was associated with lower mean scores in overall birth expectations (P = .008), whereas women accompanied by midwives during pregnancy showed significantly increased mean scores (P < .001). Regression analysis revealed that women living with obesity were less likely to have positive expectations for their upcoming childbirth when compared with others (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 0.63; 95% CI, 0.42-0.95; P = .027). Conversely, midwifery care and plans for nonclinical births were associated with increased positive childbirth expectations (aOR, 3.65; 95% CI, 2.11-6.32; P < .001 and aOR, 4.77; 95% CI, 3.37-6.74; P < .001, respectively).

Discussion: Women living with obesity exhibited significantly lower childbirth expectations compared with other women, impacting birth outcomes and satisfaction. Midwife involvement correlated with more positive expectations, emphasizing their role in improving women's realistic expectations and fostering well-being. Enhanced accessibility to models of care with midwifery continuity may be a crucial factor in promoting positive expectations among women living with obesity.

Keywords: birth; body mass index; labor; midwifery; obesity; perinatal care; pregnancy; survey.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose.

References

    1. Olza I, Leahy‐Warren P, Benyamini Y, et al. Women's psychological experiences of physiological childbirth: a meta‐synthesis. BMJ Open. 2018;8(10):e020347. doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2017-020347 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Martin DK, Bulmer SM, Pettker CM. Childbirth expectations and sources of information among low‐ and moderate‐income nulliparous pregnant women. J Perinat Educ. 2013;22(2):103‐112. doi:10.1891/1058-1243.22.2.103 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Hauck Y, Fenwick J, Downie J, Butt J. The influence of childbirth expectations on Western Australian women's perceptions of their birth experience. Midwifery. 2007;23(3):235‐247. doi:10.1016/j.midw.2006.02.002 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Pirdil M, Pirdel L. A comparison of women's expectations of labour and birth with the experiences in primiparas and multiparas with normal vaginal delivery. J Kathmandu Med Coll. 2015;4(1):16‐25. doi:10.3126/jkmc.v4i1.15024 - DOI
    1. Cormier S, Lavigne GL, Choinière M, Rainville P. Expectations predict chronic pain treatment outcomes. Pain. 2016;157(2):329. doi:10.1097/j.pain.0000000000000379 - DOI - PubMed