The Use of Birth Plan to Support Waterbirth: A Qualitative Approach

Background: The professional resistance to childbirth in water and the limitation of robust scientific evidence to support its safety constitute a context prone to the restriction of women’s freedom of choice. The elaboration of the birth plan by pregnant women who wish to experience a birth immersed in water can be an important instrument for the exercise of their choice and autonomy. This qualitative and descriptive case study aim to realize how women experienced their birth plan in two hospitals in Portugal.