Knowing Childbirth: Birth Stories and Collective Learning

Objectives: Analyse historical sources and undertake sociological research to understand how women share and assimilate birth knowledge. Assess the relevance, personal credibility and impact of sources women utilise to learn about birth. Evaluate the presence, content and influence of storytelling and collective knowledge-sharing in antenatal preparation. Contribute to an open, diverse discourse on birth with women as active agents. Investigating storytelling: Available literature examines birth narratives for their impact on the teller (Callister), their evidence about maternity care (Akrich and Pasveer, Bylund, Davis-Floyd), or their role in midwifery pedagogy (Downe). Meanwhile, birth stories abound online, including websites that challenge the pain-and-fear discourse like positivebirthmovement.org, which also connects pregnant women with local mothers for group storytelling. The project will evaluate the historical and modern role of birth stories by observing Positive Birth Manchester and other antenatal groups, and examining 50 years of NCT archives. Only one author has investigated the effect of birth stories on listeners, namely, women who chose caesarean sections. Munro found that these listeners incorporated stories into a "heterogeneous mixture of knowledge", especially when there was "congruence between the nature of the message and the participants' own views". We have not found a general inquiry into the role of birth stories for pregnant women. Our research will begin to fill this gap, with a focus on collective knowledge-sharing practices. The project will investigate how hearing stories reshapes a woman's perspective on birth, impacts her experience and changes the mainstream "story." Expectations shape reality, as Munro found when women cited "vaginal birth horror stories" to explain their elective C-section. She calls for "sources of positive, normalised birthing experiences, along with encouraging women to contribute to constructing such sources". The project will look specifically to women who seek out positive stories, whilst gauging the presence of such sources for a wider group. In narrative medicine and midwifery pedagogy, stories teach practitioners to see patterns and not simply follow rules; oral historians capture everyday voices to understand how women experienced birth and healthcare in the past. The project will explore what pregnant women learn from a diverse, story-based approach. Timeline: 2015-2016: MSc, part-time. Medical Humanities. 2016-2017: MSc, part-time. Research methods, MSc dissertation (survey of archives/literature, pilot study). 2017-2018: PhD. Research design, further survey of archives/literature, observing antenatal groups, recruiting informants. 2018-2019: PhD. Interviews, observing postnatal groups, attending conferences. 2019-2020: PhD. Analysing data, writing results. Methodology: The methods employed in this project will combine qualitative sociological research with a historical survey of relevant materials in the NCT archives. We will also use a feminist participatory research model and guidelines for interviewing new mothers (Callister), plus a birth satisfaction survey (QPP-I) one year after birth (Sawyer). In addition to academic papers and data searches, the literature review will include anthropological, sociological and historical books on women's ways of knowing, storytelling, birth stories, maternity care, and feminist technoscience. Research design: Literature review: Books, papers, NCT archives on birth stories, antenatal education, women's ways of knowing, historical context. Preparing for birth (Pilot Study) Observations; Positive Birth Manchester, NCT class (n=20) Initial understanding of how women gauge sources and learn about birth. Preparing for birth Observations; NHS-run birth workshop, Positive Birth Manchester, NCT class (n=30). A more complete picture of concepts examined in pilot study. Evaluating birth knowledge: Observations; NHS-run BreastStart.