{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,25]],"date-time":"2026-10-25T08:42:25Z","timestamp":1792917745005,"version":"4.5.0"},"reference-count":45,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,17]],"date-time":"2025-07-17T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1752710400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Glob. Women\u2019s Health"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Childbirth can be a profound and transformative experience, one that embodies complex emotional challenges. Childbirth experiences can have profound and lasting consequences, both positive and negative, shaping a woman's physical, emotional, and psychological well-being. A positive childbirth experience often fosters feelings of empowerment and birth may carry a sense of accomplishment and strength into motherhood. This can enhance bonding with the baby, reduce the likelihood of postpartum depression, and contribute to an overall positive transition into parenting. Supportive environments, effective pain management, and respectful care from healthcare providers play critical roles in creating such experiences. In contrast, a negative childbirth experience can have significant adverse effects. Negative childbirth experiences caused by, for example, a lack of control, disrespectful treatment, or traumatic events during childbirth may lead to feelings of failure, fear, or even post-traumatic stress disorder. These can undermine maternal self-esteem, strain relationships, and hinder the mother-baby bond. Addressing both women's positive and negative childbirth experiences requires providing compassionate, individualised care, fostering open communication, and ensuring that all women feel heard, valued, and supported throughout their childbirth journey. When planning care for women and their families through the childbirth process, it is crucial for health care providers to understand women's perspectives and know how to maximise the likelihood of a positive childbirth experience. This paper explores the significant impact of a positive childbirth experience on a woman's life. It offers perspectives on the importance of recognising and measuring women's childbirth experiences in the ongoing development of maternity service provision.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3389\/fgwh.2025.1599249","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,17]],"date-time":"2025-07-17T05:24:04Z","timestamp":1752729844000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":9,"title":["The importance of promoting positive childbirth experiences for women: a perspective paper"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"6","author":[{"given":"Sigfridur Inga","family":"Karlsdottir","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Nicky","family":"Leap","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,17]]},"reference":[{"key":"B1","volume-title":"WHO Recommendations Intrapartum Care for a Positive Childbirth Experience","year":"2018"},{"key":"B2","article-title":"WHO labour care guide: user\u2019s manual 2020","year":""},{"key":"B3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"918","DOI":"10.1111\/1471-0528.15237","article-title":"WHO Model of intrapartum care for a positive childbirth experience: transforming care of women and babies for improved health and wellbeing","volume":"125","author":"Oladapo","year":"2018","journal-title":"BJOG"},{"key":"B4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1007\/978-3-319-69962-2","volume-title":"Towards the Humanisation of Birth: A Study of Epidural Analgesia and Hospital Birth Culture","author":"Newnham","year":"2018"},{"key":"B5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"100882","DOI":"10.1016\/j.srhc.2023.100882","article-title":"Childbirth experience questionnaire 2\u2014Icelandic translation and validation","volume":"37","author":"Sigur\u00f0ard\u00f3ttir","year":"2023","journal-title":"Sex Reprod Healthc"},{"key":"B6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"CD003766","DOI":"10.1002\/14651858.CD003766.pub6","article-title":"Continuous support for women during childbirth","volume":"2017","author":"Bohren","year":"2017","journal-title":"Cochrane Database Syst Rev"},{"key":"B7","volume-title":"Supporting Women for Labour and Birth","author":"Leap","year":"2022"},{"key":"B8","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"362","DOI":"10.1111\/birt.12666","article-title":"Developing a woman-centered, inclusive definition of positive childbirth experiences: a discussion paper","volume":"50","author":"Leinweber","year":"2023","journal-title":"Birth"},{"key":"B9","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"687","DOI":"10.1111\/birt.12634","article-title":"Developing a woman-centered, inclusive definition of traumatic childbirth experiences: a discussion paper","volume":"49","author":"Leinweber","year":"2022","journal-title":"Birth"},{"key":"B10","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"3849","DOI":"10.1080\/14767058.2019.1583740","article-title":"Prevalence and factors affecting the negative childbirth experiences: a systematic review","volume":"33","author":"Tabaghdehi M","year":"2020","journal-title":"J Matern Fetal Neonatal Med"},{"key":"B11","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.1186\/s12884-021-03898-z","article-title":"When birth is not as expected: a systematic review of the impact of a mismatch between expectations and experiences","volume":"21","author":"Webb","year":"2021","journal-title":"BMC Pregnancy Childbirth"},{"key":"B12","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"362","DOI":"10.1016\/j.wombi.2023.11.006","article-title":"Traumatic birth and childbirth-related post-traumatic stress disorder: international expert consensus recommendations for practice, policy, and research","volume":"37","author":"Ayers","year":"2024","journal-title":"Women Birth"},{"key":"B13","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"371","DOI":"10.1007\/s00737-019-00973-5","article-title":"Worrying in the wings? 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