Question: Interview a pregnant woman (or a woman that had a baby in the last year) and her partner if applicable using the questions below. In interviewing the woman, be sure to tell her/them that the interview is for a project for your course in development. Assure her/them that they have the right not to answer any of the questions and may stop the interview at any time. Let her/them know that no one will see the answers to the interview questions and that her/their name(s) will not be used. In giving the interview, write down as much of their responses as you can. You might consider tape recording the interview to avoid taking time to write the answers during the interview. Be sure to ask permission to use a tape recorder and assure her/them that the tape will be erased.
Feel free to add questions to the interview as appropriate while talking, but be sure to cover all of the issues included. Many of the questions are meant to have more than one or two sentence answers. You will need to practice using follow-up probes to get longer answers:
- Can you tell me more about that?
- I don't understand. Can you give me an example?
- How does that make you feel?
- How important is that to you?
- using "uh-huh" and head nodding may also lead to more responding
Incorporate questions about culture as appropriate. Culture includes religion, socioeconomic status, race, ethnicity, age, gender, etc.
Prenatal Interview:
I. Childbearing History
1) Have you had any childbearing losses? (i.e. abortion, miscarriage, infertility, stillbirth or children placed for adoption)
2) Vital information on previous birth (i.e. date, gender, name and birth weight)
3) How did labor begin? How long did it last? How did you push? What coping techniques did you use?
4) Were there any complication?
5) What was the best thing about the experience? What element would you hope to avoid this time?
6.) How did you choose your doctor?
II. Anticipated Birth
1) How is your pregnancy going? Is it what you expected?
2) Are you feeling rested? Restless? Any interesting dreams?
3) Have there been any problems with this pregnancy? If so, what?
4) Which prenatal tests, if any, have you had? Results?
5) What childbirth education have you taken?
6) Who have you chosen to be with you during this birth and what role will each person play?
7) Have you told you doctor/midwife that you are hiring a labor assistant?
8) How do you imagine I can be most helpful to you and also you partner?
9) Imagine you ideal birth. What makes it ideal?
10) Have you completed your birth plan?
11) What are the 3 most vital elements of your birth plan (in order of importance)?
Client:
1.
2.
3.
Client's Partner:
1.
2.
3.
12) What are you greatest fears about this birth?
Client:
Partner:
13) In the event of an unanticipated C-Section, what things would be most important to you?
14) What are the most stressful aspects of your life? How do you counteract this stress?
15) What is your occupation? Partner's?
16) Have you experienced any significant losses (i.e. death of a parent, sibling, divorce, loss of birth family through adoption, etc.)
17) Who do you turn to for support?
18) Tell me about a time when you felt especially calm. What were the circumstances?
19) Tell me about a time when you felt especially powerful. What were the circumstances?
20) In painful situations, how do you seek comfort? (i.e. companionship, activity, quiet, turning inward, making noise, rhythmic movement, distraction, etc.)
21) When frightened, how do you regain a sense of calmness? (i.e. deep breathing, deliberate relaxation, reassurance from others, visualization, information gathering, etc.)
22) In labor, what coping techniques do you anticipate using? (i.e. walking, music, nature sound machine, relaxation, shower/bath, massage, rocking, position changes, encouragement, moaning, visualization, etc.)
23) What provisions for photographing the birth have you made (including considering social networking sites)?
III. Newborn
1) Do you know the gender of this baby? If so, how?
2) What do you plan on naming this baby?
3) In ideal circumstances, how would you like to welcome you baby? (i.e. non-separation, immediate nursing, hear you voice first, etc.
4) Do you plan on nursing?
5) If mother & baby need to be separated, who should remain with mom, who should remain with baby?
6) Do you plan on circumcising this child if it is male?
7) Do you have special concerns about your child?
Student question. Based on what you've learned, ask at least one more question; what else would you like to know about this person's life?
After you describe the interview, discuss your reaction (three paragraphs).
1. What did you learn? Did anything surprise you?
2. How did you feel during the interview?
3. What changes (if any) have occurred in your perception of the prenatal/first year? (What did you think before? What do you think now?)