First-time mothers preparing for birthing in an electronic world: internet and mobile phone technology

Background: As the twenty-first century moves forward, we are witnessing a surge of self-educating with electronic media (e.g. internet sites, mobile phone technology, television and/or videos). This phenomenon is deeply embedded in perinatal education and warrants an in-depth investigation to uncover the meaning of how mothers self-prepare with electronic media for birthing in hospitals. Methods: A sequential mix of two qualitative designs commenced. A preliminary descriptive design, involving three focus groups (childbirth educators, n = 5; obstetric providers, n = 6; and labour and delivery nurses, n = 1), was conducted to inform researchers of provider perceptions of childbearing women self-preparing with electronic media. Then, a primary hermeneutic (interpretive) design was used to conduct one-to-one in-depth interviews from a purposive sample (n = 7) of young first-time mothers (FTMs). Results: The preliminary descriptive findings suggested that interviewing young FTMs self-preparing for birthing in hospitals was warranted. A primary hermeneutic (interpretive) design revealed that FTMs were preparing with electronic media for what ifs based on what is known about birthing. At times, this educated the mothers and some became more knowledgeable or informed; however, there was also a debilitating effect, which increased the mothers' level of anxiety and fear. Conclusions: Providing credible electronic linkages, mobile phone technology, videos and access to provider and hospital websites, guided by their care providers, is imperative for educating mothers. By addressing mothers' needs, women may be better able to birth with confidence as they enter the electronic world of preparing for birthing in a hospital.