What to expect when you're expecting? Representations of birth in British newspapers

Abstract

Background: National newspapers are a powerful force in British society, often portraying childbirth as a moment of high drama. Yet no evidence to date has systematically collated the material on offer. Objective: This descriptive study aimed to examine how childbirth is represented in British national newspapers. Methods: Content analysis of women's first-person accounts of birth was carried out. Text was coded using material gleaned from a database search of 23 publications over 12 months (from 1 December 2011 to 30 November 2012). Publications included Daily Mail, Mirror, The Telegraph, The Guardian, The Sun and The Times. Results: 61 codes emerged, including; fear, ordeal, pain, effective staff, malicious or poor care, intervention, humour, positive pain, relief, no choice, infection, no pain, mother's instinct. Conclusions: A discrepancy exists between newspaper messages and the majority of births. Uptake of normal birth pathways arguably depends on midwives addressing this potential source of anxiety. Distorted risk perceptions may also affect the behaviour of health practitioners, managers and commissioners.