Birth NI: a survey of women’s experience of maternity care in NI

Abstract

The Survey of Women’s Experiences of Maternity Care in Northern Ireland (Birth NI) is the first survey of its kind in Northern Ireland. Birth NI used a similar format to that employed by the National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit (NPEU) in their maternity care surveys and is based on their most recent 2014 survey and ‘Safely Delivered” report. The questionnaire was divided into sections on experiences during pregnancy, labour and birth and after birth. There were also sections on health and well-being and on partner’s involvement. A total of 2722 women completed and returned questionnaires. A response rate of 47%, with a useable response rate of 45%, was achieved, which is comparable with other recent population-based maternity surveys. In addition to presenting data on all women, findings are presented by parity throughout to highlight the impact of previous pregnancy and childbirth on experiences of care. In the final sections of this report, we have conducted further analyses to explore the key aspects of maternity care experience for women living in the most deprived areas and those currently not living with a partner to identify areas of potential unmet need