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. 2025 Aug 25;25(1):882.
doi: 10.1186/s12884-025-07973-7.

What do we know about midwife-woman interactions during vaginal childbirth: a scoping review and thematic analysis

Jia-Yi Tan  1 , Lin Zhou  2 , Li-Jia Shi  1 , Qian Sun  1 , Kai-Yi Wu  1 , Yang Shen  1 , Jing Zhang  3   4
Affiliations

What do we know about midwife-woman interactions during vaginal childbirth: a scoping review and thematic analysis

Jia-Yi Tan et al. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. .

Abstract

Background: Against the backdrop of changes in the medical model, a clearer awareness among women of their rights, and a deeper emphasis on the "woman-centred" approach, it has become increasingly important to focus on the current state and quality of intrapartum interactions. While midwife-woman interactions during vaginal childbirth are recognized as central to shaping maternal health outcomes and birthing experiences, existing studies offer fragmented insights, with a limited synthesis of how these dynamics influence intrapartum care and support, maternal autonomy in decision-making, and the midwife-woman relationship.

Objectives: To synthesize the existing literature addressing midwife-woman interactions during childbirth and to identify any research gaps.

Methods: A scoping review was conducted using Arksey and O'Malley's methodology, with results reported following the PRISMA-ScR guidelines. A three-stage search strategy was conducted between December 2023 and August 2024, and 11 databases were searched. Eligible articles were charted and thematically analyzed.

Results: A total of 6,560 articles were retrieved, of which 22 were included in the review. Three themes and six subthemes were identified: "Directive or instructive communication", "Multi-facet support needs and provisions (Emotional support: The indispensable but unseen labour; Information support: how much to share; Professional support: Balancing Care and Protocols; Shared Decision-making: Navigating Autonomy and Challenges)", and "Close or distant intrapartum relationship (Trust and respect: The hidden pillars of intrapartum care; The shocking reality of obstetric violence)".

Conclusions: The study of midwife-woman intrapartum interaction needs further in-depth exploration. Notable discrepancies exist in the descriptions of intrapartum interactions between midwives and women, which may result in a mismatch between the care provided by the midwife and the actual needs of the woman. As an innovative and valuable approach, it is recommended that micro-analysis methods, such as CA, be employed in future research to gain a deeper understanding of the nuanced dynamics present in midwife-woman interactions during labour and birth.

Registration: The research protocol was preregistered on the Open Science Framework (Registration DOI: https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/R5WYQ ).

Keywords: Childbirth; Interaction; Micro-analysis; Midwife-woman; Scoping review.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: Not applicable. Consent for publication: Not applicable. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
PRISMA 2020 flow diagram for scoping review
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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