Experiences of men who support their partners during childbirth in lowresource settings: A descriptive review

Male involvement in maternal and child health has been promoted since the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development in Cairo. Literature from high-resource settings demonstrates the benefits of involving males in maternal and child health including improvement in maternal mental health, increased assistance from partners and reduced stay in hospital; however, little is known about the situation in low-income countries. This paper aims to provide a descriptive review of qualitative studies on experiences of men who supported their partners during labour and birth in low-resource settings. Themes identified from the literature include: unpreparedness, pleasant but frightening experience, loss of interest in wife and lack of privacy. Further good quality studies should be performed in addition to the need for adequate preparation of men for involvement during labour and birth.