Childbirth expectations of Chinese first-time pregnant women

Background. This topic had not been researched previously and the information gained could have implications for midwives working with Chinese women everywhere. Aims. To explore the specific childbirth expectations of Hong Kong Chinese first-time pregnant women. Methods. This was a cross-sectional descriptive survey study and a Chinese version of the Childbirth Expectations Questionnaire was used to collect data. The sample consisted of 186 first-time pregnant women who first attended the antenatal clinic at a large public hospital in a major geographical region of Hong Kong. Results. Results showed that the Chinese pregnant women, the majority of who had not attended childbirth education classes, had high expectations of support from both their partners and midwives during labour and delivery. Conversely, expectations toward their own ability to cope with pain were relatively low. In addition, the pregnant women expressed concerns about the severity of labour pain and indicated low expectations about minimal use of medical interventions during labour. Conclusions. This study results add to the existing literature about childbirth expectations of first-time pregnant Hong Kong Chinese women. Midwife educators should incorporate the findings into childbirth education classes to help pregnant women develop realistic and positive expectations.