Experiences of mothers receiving male midwives’ assistance during childbirth in Kween District, Uganda
Open accessAbstract
This study explored the perceptions and experiences of mothers who were cared for by male midwives (MMWs) during delivery in Kween District. The study utilized a qualitative phenomenological approach to document responses of participants. Data was collected from three health facilities that had male midwives delivering mothers at the time of the study, and targeted postnatal mothers 18-49 years who had been delivered by a MMW in the last 6 months. Thirty-three mothers participated in the study: 15 in individual in-depth interviews and 18 in three focused group discussions. Collected data were transcribed in word, coded in excel and exported to Atlas.t 7 for analysis. Thematic and content analysis were utilized to derive insights from the data collected. The results showed that perceptions varied significantly across participants. Respondents attached certain beliefs and perceptions that the delivery process is an intimate matter that should only be handled by fellow women. Fear and discomfort when touched by a MMW and discomfort by mothers’ partners, came out as strong viewpoints. However, there were strong experiences that MMWs demonstrated supportive, caring, respectful, sympathetic and passionate provision of care. These findings agree with several other studies reviewed during the study. Comprehensive sensitization focused on promoting the utilization of skilled birth attendants regardless of gender is necessary in reducing maternal mortality.
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Male healthcare workers attending to women during childbirth is not very culturally acceptable for many African communities and some religious groups.
“This mistrust is because male healthcare workers attending to women during childbirth is not very culturally acceptable for many African communities and some religious groups.”
From Enablers and barriers of domiciliary midwifery practice using the socio-ecological model: a qualitative study exploring the perspectives of students and lecturers in Uganda (2026) · cites this paper as [21]
The Introduction (p. 29) links the past exclusion of men from maternity care to traditional culture and reports reluctance to use a South African centre with a male midwife. The ‘Fear of being delivered by male midwives’ section also describes participants who believed childbirth should be handled by women. These passages support cultural reluctance in the settings discussed, but not the broader claim about many African communities or the reference to religious groups. (LLM, conf=0.85)
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Robert, I., Apili, F., Matte, R. F., Auma, A. G., Nabasirye, C. K., Atuhairwe, I., Agaba, B., Mann, J., & Ukoha, W. C. (2026) · BMC Medical Education · doi:10.1186/s12909-026-08901-9
“This echoes the findings of another Ugandan study exploring the experience of mothers who were assisted by male midwives during childbirth, which revealed resentment from the women’s spouses [21].”
- Authors
- Soyekwo, W. S., Tumuhaise, C., & Ndibazza, J.
- Affiliations
- Uganda Martyrs University (UG)
- Nkozi Hospital (UG)
- ORCID
- Ndibazza, Juliet
- Venue
- African Journal of Reproductive Health
- Published
- 2024-10-31
- Volume
- 28
- Issue
- 10
- Pages
- 28-38
- ISSN
- 1118-4841 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W4404108749
- Cited by
- 1
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1
- FWCI
- 0.55
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- diamond
- dx.doi.org
- Locations
- African Journal of Reproductive Health (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Obstetrics and Gynecology › Maternal and Perinatal Health Interventions
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Pediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health › Global Maternal and Child Health
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Reproductive Health and Contraception
- Keywords
- male midwives, childbirth experience, maternal perceptions, skilled birth attendants, maternal mortality, postpartum women
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Adult, Female, Humans, Interviews as Topic, Male, Maternal Health Services, Middle Aged, Midwifery, Mothers, Pregnancy, Uganda, Focus Groups, Qualitative Research, Parturition, Delivery, Obstetric, Young Adult
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