Understanding Women’s Attitudes Toward Midwifery Practices for Maternal Care in Middle Georgia

<p>Compared to other high-income countries, women in the United States are more likely to die from problems related to pregnancy and childbirth. In Georgia, maternal mortality is particularly acute. Midwifery models of maternal care have been shown to produce positive pregnancy and childbirth outcomes for patients, but these services are underutilized in Georgia. This study sought to identify women’s attitudes toward midwifery, what contributed to those attitudes, and what influenced women in Middle Georgia to seek midwifery services using a qualitative, Grounded Theory approach. Three participants who self-identified as having used a midwife before were interviewed using a semi-structured protocol.</p> <p>The evidence from this study, despite its limited sample size, points to three key factors driving participants’ positive attitude toward midwives and the practice of midwifery: control of birthing circumstance, quality in health professionals, and physical and mental empowerment. Interviews also indicated exposure to midwifery as a potential mode of care and fear, real or imagined, drove women to seek midwifery. The study demonstrated a potential wellspring of information that could be gleaned from rural populations in Georgia to understand drivers behind the maternal health crisis in Georgia, and what changes to health communication could be made to increase use of midwifery services.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

Communication - Communication Studies Track

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Communication Department

Year

2025

Author dc:creator

• Simpson, Kristen M.

Contributors dc:contributor

• Nili Cinmand
• Dr. Mariko Izumi
• Dr. Benjamin Baker

• Midwife
• Midwifery
• Maternal Care
• Qualitative
• Grounded Theory
• Communication
• Health Communication

Language dc:language

English

Repository record dc:identifier

https://csuepress.columbusstate.edu/theses_dissertations/576

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:csuepress.columbusstate.edu:theses_dissertations-1578