"It shows that I belong": a qualitative study assessing birth companionship of choice in a maternity clinic in Freetown, Sierra Leone.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Despite existing evidence supporting birth companionship of choice as a simple, low-cost measure to improve quality of care in childbirth, it is inconsistently practiced in many regions. In Sierra Leone, one of the least safe countries for women to deliver a baby, Princess Christian Maternity Hospital (PCMH) began encouraging companionship of choice for women during childbirth in March 2022. However, little is known about the perspectives of healthcare workers or the perinatal experiences of women and their companions. Our objective was to describe the experiences and perceptions surrounding birth companionship of choice among healthcare workers, women, and their companions.

Methods

We conducted a qualitative assessment at PCMH in August 2022 through eleven focus

SUBMITTER: Munson O 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12107989 | biostudies-literature | 2025 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature