Bonding is a complex phenomenon that occurs during a significant phase for the mother and her infant. However, the definition and use of the term bonding, frequently misleads because of the inclination to refine and oversimplify the attachment phenomenon. The objective of this concept analysis is, therefore, to clarify the meaning of this concept with specific reference to maternal-infant bonding. Adopting Walker and Avant's (2005) adaptation of Wilson's (1963) concept analysis procedure, bonding, as a concept, is analysed to arrive at a clearer and more accurate meaning. This analysis presents definitions and defining characteristics of bonding. Antecedents and consequences of maternal-infant bonding are also explored, while model, contrary and borderline cases are presented to further enhance clarity and thereby inform operational definitions. Implications for nursing and midwifery practice are discussed.

The expansion of the medicalisation of childbirth has been described in the literature as being a global phenomenon. The vignette described in this paper, selected from an ethnographic study of routine intervention in Saudi Arabian hospitals illustrates how the worldwide spread of the bio-medical model does not take place within a cultural vacuum. To illuminate the ways in which the medicalisation of birth may be understood and practised in different cultural settings, through a vignette of a specific birth, drawn as a typical case from an ethnographic study that investigated clinical decision-making in the second stage of labour in Saudi Arabia. Ethnographic data collection methods, including participant observation and interviews. The data presented in this paper are drawn from ethnographic field notes collected during field work in Saudi Arabia, and informed by analysis of a wider set of field notes and interviews with professionals working in this context. While the medicalisation of care is a universal phenomenon, the ways in which the care of women is managed using routine medical intervention are framed by the local cultural context in which these practices take place. The ethnographic data presented in this paper shows the medicalisation of birth thesis to be incomplete. The evidence presented in this paper illustrates how local belief systems are not so much subsumed by the expansion of the bio-medical model of childbirth, rather they may actively facilitate a process of localised reinterpretation of such universalised and standardised practices. In this case, aspects of the social and cultural context of Jeddah operates to intensify the biomedical model at the expense of respectful maternity care. In this article, field note data on the birth of one Saudi Arabian woman is used as an illustration of how the medicalisation of childbirth has been appropriated and reinterpreted in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Background: Routine use of medical interventions during labor has been identified as a clinical area for concern, since such routinized practice is not consistent with an evidence‐based approach to care and continues to increase despite efforts to encourage normal childbirth. Therefore, the aim of our study was to explore maternity health professionals’ use of interventions during the second stage of labor in two hospitals in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, to understand what influences their decision‐making and practices.Methods: This was an exploratory study using an ethnographic approach. Data collection methods included participant observations of 19 labors and births (n = 8 at City Hospital and n = 11 at King's Hospital) and semi‐structured interviews with 29 health care professionals. In addition, the hospital labor and delivery ward policies and guidelines from those hospitals were collected. Data were analyzed thematically.Results: Medical interventions were used during the second stage of labor routinely, regardless of clinical indication. Three core influences that shaped the clinical decision‐making were identified as follows: (a) organizational culture, (b) a medical concept of birth, and (c) a hierarchical system of control. We suggest that the clinical decision‐making and routine practice in this setting arises out of the interface between these three core influences whereby hierarchical control and clinicians’ exercise of power and feelings of powerlessness are fundamental drivers for an organizational culture of medicalized childbirth, despite the differing models of childbirth which professionals described.Conclusions: Clinical decisions relating to the use of interventions during childbirth are both complex and socially negotiated. The findings reflect the complexity of the use of interventions during the second stage of labor and the multiple influences on professionals’ practices. We have shown how three key influences interact to shape clinical decision‐making during the second stage of labor in this cultural setting and how the use of medical interventions can be analyzed as an illustration of the power dynamic in the maternity health care system. We suggest that written policies are insufficient to bring about evidence‐based practice and approaches to change need to take into account these different levels of influence.

Effective use of resources in healthcare research is essential in meeting the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3 to achieve universal health coverage, increase retention of healthcare workers, and strengthen the capacity of all countries to reduce risk and manage global health risks; the World Health Organization (WHO) also identifies...

Experiencing a traumatic event during childbirth can cause undergraduate midwifery students to view childbirth as traumatic and develop a fear of it. This may hinder their ability to provide professional care and support to women during childbirth. The trauma may affect their education, future professional life, and caregiving abilities, potentially leading them to consider dropping out of the programme. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and effect of traumatic childbirth witnessed by undergraduate midwifery students during their clinical practice at a government academic institution in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. An online descriptive cross-sectional survey with closed questions was chosen. The study sample includes second-, third-, and fourth-year undergraduate midwifery students who had attended at least one childbirth session (n = 255). Participants were identified using a non-probability convenience sampling technique. First-year students or those who had not started clinical practice were excluded. A total of 149 respondents completed the survey, with a 96.8 % response rate. Among undergraduate midwifery students, 77.2 % reported witnessing traumatic childbirth during clinical training, with many considering these experiences somewhat traumatic (48.3 %) or highly traumatic (28.9 %). The survey results indicate that these experiences significantly affected mental and emotional health, and future childbirth preferences. Satisfaction among midwifery studies remained positive despite these challenges. This study determined that a significant proportion of midwifery students witnessed traumatic childbirth, which affected their future pregnancy and childbirth plans, mental and emotional well-being, and professional life.