Margareta Johansson

• Doctor of Philosophy
• Professor (Associate) at Akademiska Sjukhuset

Background In Sweden, women often meet with different midwives during antenatal, intrapartum, and postpartum care, due to the structure of maternity care, with few alternatives which provide continuity. This study aims to explore women’s interest in having a midwife they know present during labor and birth and to identify the characteristics of wom...

Background: Early labor is often managed at home without professional support. The Birth APP is a mHealth application designed to support women during early labor. A pilot-study revealed that women found the app's exercises simple, understandable, and useful. The app was perceived as useful and appreciated by women, although areas for improvement w...

The aim of this mixed-method study was to identify support needs, as well as barriers and facilitators to seeking support in a sample of Swedish fathers with a fear of childbirth (FOC). Participants completed an anonymous quantitative online survey (N = 131), with three free-text items for those self-identifying as having an FOC (N = 71) and five i...

Background There are few support interventions for women with fear of childbirth tailored towards type of fears and parity. To inform the future development of an acceptable and relevant intervention for women with severe fear of childbirth, primary objectives were to examine: (1) pregnant women’s experiences of and preferences for support and (2)...

Background The core of postnatal care is that midwives recognise the needs of women and new‐born babies and provide the highest possible quality of care and medical safety to optimise the health and well‐being of new families. The study aimed to describe midwives' experiences in providing postnatal care for families during the first week after the...

Background Fear of birth is common and complex, caused by a variety of reasons. The aim was to investigate the prevalence of pre-established reasons in relation to fear, and to identify profiles of women based on their reported reasons behind fear of birth. Methods A cross-sectional Swedish study of women with self-reported fear of birth who compl...

Background It is well known that breastfeeding plays an important role in the health of women and children. However, women are not always given optimal support and most do not reach their breastfeeding goals. About one in five, breastfeeding women report mastitis and a small proportion of these develop a breast abscess. Our aim was to describe the...

INTRODUCTION Although high-quality postnatal care provides information and recognizes women’s personal and cultural contexts, foreign-born women are more exposed to poor health and adverse birth outcomes. The aim of this study was to compare the length and model of postnatal care, along with the content of care, between foreign-born and native-born...

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.18332/ejm/161784.].

Background: Pregnant women in early labour have felt excluded from professional care, and their partners have been restricted from being involved in the birthing process. Expectant parents must be better prepared to deal with fear and stress during early labour. There is a need for evidence-based information and digital applications that can empow...

Objective: To explore women's experience of freebirth, as giving birth without the presence of a skilled healthcare professional such as a midwife. Methods: Online semi-structured interviews with nine multiparous women in Sweden. A qualitative experiential approach, as described by Burnard, was followed for data analysis. Results: The five mai...

Introduction: If a family is discharged from a hospital earlier after birth, close supervision by a skilled midwife is essential. The aim was to describe mothers' overall experience receiving postnatal care in a Swedish home-based midwifery care model. Methods: A descriptive qualitative study was conducted. Mothers meeting the inclusion criteria...

Background: Use of mobile applications (apps) are increasing during pregnancy but few of these are evidence-based or evaluated in research. Aim: To examine the feasibility, including perceived usefulness and usability, and the preliminary effects of an app based on the Confident birth method. Methods: A mixed-method approach, including 48 wome...

Background Caesarean section (CS) can be a life-saving operation but might also negatively affect the health of both the woman and the baby. The aim of this study was to synthesize and contrast women’s and clinicians’ attitudes toward maternal-requested CS, and their experiences of the decision-making process around CS. Methods The databases of CI...

Objective : The aim of this paper was to compare current perceptions of empowerment in their work with results from a sample of midwives recruited 2012. Design : A comparative cross-sectional cohort study of national samples of midwives in Sweden from 2012 and 2022. Participants : 475 midwives recruited from the Swedish midwifery association in 2...

Background: Pregnant women in early labour have felt excluded from professional care, and their partners have been restricted from being involved in the birthing process. Expectant parents must be better prepared to deal with fear and stress during early labour. There is a need for evidence-based information and digital applications that can empowe...

Introduction: Women and their families are often excluded from reproductive decision-making processes in postnatal care, and do not know which choices they have. Shared decision-making is a critical but challenging component of maternity care quality. The aim was to explore women's experience of the decision-making process about early return from...

Background There is evidence that continuity models of midwifery care benefit women and babies in terms of less birth intervention and higher maternal satisfaction. Studies about continuity models in a Swedish context are lacking. Objective The aim of this study was to describe how women experience continuity of midwifery care in a Swedish rural a...

Background Midwifery continuity models of care are highly recommended yet rare in Sweden, although approximately 50% of pregnant women request them. Before introducing and scaling up continuity models in Sweden, midwives’ attitudes about working in continuity models must be investigated. Objective to investigate Swedish midwives’ interests in work...

Introduction: Childbirth is a life-changing event where fathers desire being involved. As fathers take a more active role, fear of childbirth can arise. The aim of this study was to explore fathers’ experiences of childbirth fear during pregnancy and after the birth of their baby. Methods: This was a qualitative longitudinal prospective study that...

Objective To explore and describe fathers’ experiences of a newly implemented Swedish home-based postnatal care model. Design A descriptive cross-sectional qualitative study was conducted as a part of a larger study. Setting Families who qualified to be discharged early were offered to participate in a postnatal home-based model of midwifery care...

Introduction: Cultural doulas have a unique role in providing support to foreign-born women and improving their reproductive health. The aim was to explore cultural doulas' experiences of giving support to foreign-born women during pregnancy and after childbirth. Methods: A qualitative descriptive study with an inductive approach included six cu...

INTRODUCTION Individuals who are transgender often want a family and want to be validated as fathers, but may lack support in the reproductive health field. The aim of this qualitative study was to explore midwives’ perceptions regarding caring for transmen during labour and birth. METHODS Five midwives were recruited from Stockholm-area hospitals,...

Background The World Health Organization recommends exclusive breastfeeding for 6 months followed by continued breastfeeding with complementary food up to 2 years of age or beyond. Few women achieve this recommendation in Sweden, and they often stop breastfeeding earlier than they would like. Investigating women’s advice to healthcare professionals...

Objectives: The objective was to investigate the prevalence of mothers who experienced pain during breastfeeding in the early postnatal period and to describe associated factors. Methods: Medical records of 987 mothers and their babies were scrutinized. Chi-square Test, McNemar's test, and relative risk with a 95% confidence interval were applie...

Background The goal of postnatal care is to provide the highest possible quality of care and medical safety with the least possible intervention in order to optimize health and wellbeing of the new family. The aim of the study was to describe mothers´ experiences in relation to a new postnatal home-based model of midwifery care. Methods The curren...

Background: Parents' birth experiences affect bonding with their infant, which in turn may influence the child's future health. Parents' satisfaction with childbirth is multi-dimensional and dependent on both expectations and experiences. Increasing involvement of partners in intrapartum care may lead to an assumption that the birthing couple shar...

Objective: The aim was to explore what concerns Swedish fathers had about parenting difficulties at two months after the birth of their baby. Methods: Self-report questionnaires were used and data were analyzed with mixed methods. Results: Thirty percent of the 827 fathers reported concerns about the difficulties of parenthood. The theme 'Mana...

Background: Sweden has an international reputation for offering high quality maternity care, although models that provide continuity of care are rare. The aim was to explore women's interest in models of care such as continuity with the same midwife, homebirth and birth center care. Methods: A prospective longitudinal survey where 758 women's in...

Fathers often want to be involved in labour and birth. To investigate how maternal birth position during second stage of labour may influence fathers' experience of childbirth. Mixed method study with 221 Swedish fathers completing an on-line questionnaire. Descriptive statistics and qualitative content analysis were used. In total 174 (78.7%) had...

Decision-making in childbirth involves considerations about both the mother and her unborn baby's wellbeing. For men the safety of both is paramount. To explore and describe Swedish fathers' beliefs and attitudes around the decision for a caesarean section. Qualitative descriptive study. Twenty one Swedish men whose partners had experienced electiv...

to compare self-rated health and perceived difficulties during pregnancy as well as antenatal attendance, birth experience and parental stress in fathers with and without childbirth related fear. a longitudinal regional survey. Data were collected by three questionnaires. three hospitals in the middle-north part of Sweden. 1047 expectant fathers re...

BACKGROUND: The birth of a baby is a powerful life event that has implications for a woman's wellbeing and future health. A positive birth experience promotes a sense of achievement, enhances feeling of self-worth, and facilitates confidence—all of which are important for a healthy adaptation to motherhood and psychological growth. Understanding wh...

This paper has two main aims: to explore fathers' postnatal care experiences with a specific focus on deficiencies and to investigate which service deficiencies remained important for fathers one year after childbirth. This is a prospective longitudinal study. Two months and one year after birth, the overall satisfaction with care were sought. A ca...

Background: Intrapartum care is expected to be shaped by parents' need and preferences. Aim: The aim was to explore Swedish fathers' intrapartum care quality experiences, with a specific focus on care deficiencies in relation to birth mode. A secondary aim was to explore which issues of quality that contributed most to dissatisfaction with the o...

The early postnatal period can be challenging for new fathers especially when their partner has experienced a caesarean section. The aim of this study was to describe men's perceptions and feelings of staying with their partner and new baby in the context of having experienced a surgical birth. Thematic analysis was employed to analyse telephone in...

Objective: to investigate the prevalence of childbirth related fear in Swedish fathers and associated factors. Design: a regional cohort study. Data was collected by a questionnaire. Setting: three hospitals in the middle-north part of Sweden Participants: 1047 expectant fathers recruited in mid-pregnancy during one year (2007) who completed...

Objective: To describe and explore fathers' experiences of their partner's caesarean section birth. Design: A qualitative descriptive design was employed. A self-selected sample of 22 Swedish fathers who had experienced an elective or emergency caesarean section agreed to participate. Men were interviewed by telephone seven to 16 months after th...

Objective To compare self rated health and perceived difficulties during pregnancy as well as antenatal attendance, birth experience and parental stress in fathers with and without childbirth related fear. Design A longitudinal regional survey. Data were collected by three questionnaires. Setting Three hospitals in the middle-north part of Sweden...

To explore and describe men's experiences of pregnancy and childbirth expectations. There remains limited work exploring expectant father's perspectives. Qualitative descriptive design. Twelve Australian expectant fathers participated in between 1 and 2 interviews during pregnancy and 1 after childbirth (32 in total). Six fathers also chose to subm...

While attending birth mostly has a positive impact on becoming a father, it has also been described as including feelings of discomfort and is more demanding than expected. The objective was to explore Swedish fathers' birth experiences, and factors associated with a less-positive birth experience. Mixed methods including quantitative and qualitati...

to describe the prevalence of women's preference for caesarean section as expressed in mid pregnancy, late pregnancy and one year post partum. An additional aim was to identify associated factors and investigate reasons for the preference. mixed methods. Data were collected from 2007 to 2008 through questionnaires distributed to a Swedish regional...

Background Fathers involvement in pregnancy and childbirth has increased and this can benefit their own health as well as their partners' and children's health The objective of this study was to investigate the sources of pregnancy and childbirth information that expectant fathers used in pregnancy with a specific focus on the Internet Methods This...

Please cite this paper as: Johansson M, Rådestad I, Rubertsson C, Karlström A, Hildingsson I. Few fathers-to-be prefer caesarean section for the birth of their baby. BJOG 2010; DOI: 10.1111/j.1471-0528.2010.02508.x. The objective of this study was to investigate prospective fathers’ preferences for caesarean section and associated factors. Data wer...