Learning to birth, mastering the social practice of birth: conceptualising birthing women as skilful and knowledgeable agents

In this paper, I present an overview of the key findings of my doctoral research into women's experiential learning about birth, and physiological birth, over their childbearing careers.   Initial research objectives: In my... [ view full abstract ]

In this paper, I present an overview of the key findings of my doctoral research into women's experiential learning about birth, and physiological birth, over their childbearing careers.  

Initial research objectives: In my research, I investigated women’s representations of their birth experiences, with the objective of better understanding how the social practice of birth might represent a space of learning for birthing women. At the outset, I was particularly interested in how this space might (or might not) support women in learning to birth physiologically over their childbearing careers.

Method: Empirical data were collected in 2011/12 through in-depth semi-structured interviews with 26 women living in North-West England (involving 68 childbirth experiences). Analysing this data, I was inspired by Bourdieu’s theory of practice to inform a conceptualisation of birthing women as skilful and knowledgeable agents, who - drawing significantly on their personal birth experiences - play a key role in [re]producing social practices of birth over their childbearing careers.

Findings: From my interpretative analysis, I suggest that rather than representing a space in which women might learn to protect the physiological process of birth, successive experiences of birth seem to represent a space in which many women learn to shut down that possibility. Rather, they prioritise defensive action to protect themselves against emotional and physical harm, with some women learning that a physiological approach to birth is unnecessary, abnormal and dangerous. Whilst there is evidence that some women learn to birth physiologically over their childbearing careers by drawing on their experiential knowledge, the main finding is that being skilful and knowledgeable as a birthing woman frequently works in the opposite direction.

Study implications: This study offers new understandings of birthing women as skilful and knowledgeable agents and explores the diversity of women’s learning about birth, in particular by drawing a distinction between how women come to master the social practice of birth and how they learn to birth physiologically over their childbearing careers. In doing so, it complicates the idea that 'women want normal birth', and provides important contextual information for researchers interested in understanding the persistently low rates of normal birth in the UK and the dearth of physiological birthing virtuosas.