Spirituality in Childbearing Women Lynn Clark Callister, RN, PhD, FAAN Inaam Khalaf, RN, PhD ABSTRACT Childbearing is the ideal context within which to enrich

Spirituality in Childbearing Women

Lynn Clark Callister, RN, PhD, FAAN

Inaam Khalaf, RN, PhD

ABSTRACT

Childbearing is the ideal context within which to enrich spirituality. The purpose of this study was to

generate themes regarding spirituality and religiosity among culturally diverse childbearing women. A

secondary analysis was performed, using existing narrative data from cross-cultural studies of child-

bearing women. The following themes emerged from the data: childbirth as a time to grow closer to

God, the use of religious beliefs and rituals as powerful coping mechanisms, childbirth as a time to

make religiosity more meaningful, the significance of a Higher Power in influencing birth outcomes,

and childbirth as a spiritually transforming experience. In clinical settings, understanding the spiritual

dimensions of childbirth is essential. Assessments of childbearing women may include the question,

‘‘Do you have any spiritual beliefs that will help us better care for you?’’

The Journal of Perinatal Education, 19(2), 16–24, doi: 10.1624/105812410X495514

Keywords: spirituality, childbirth, birth experiences

Spirituality and religiosity are recognized as impor-

tant components of health and well-being. Women

have used prayer and other spiritual practices for

their own and others’ health concerns for thousands

of years (National Center for Complementary and

Alternative Medicine, 2005). Most current literature

focuses on the spiritual health of individuals living

with chronic illnesses and those who are terminally

ill, whereas there is relatively little focus on spiritu-

ality or religiosity during the childbearing year.

However, a recent study documented the relation-

ship between religious involvement and health risk

behaviors in childbearing women, concluding that

such involvement was significantly correlated with

less-risk health behaviors (Page, Ellison, & Lee,

2009). Although spirituality and religiosity may

be related, women may be spiritual without being

religious, and more research on this association is

recommended.

Childbearing and motherhood may be ideal con-

texts in which to enrich spirituality. Moloney (2007)

asserts that ‘‘cross-culturally and throughout his-

tory, pregnancy and childbirth have been perceived

as spiritual events because of the miraculous pro-

cesses involved’’ (p. 1). Birth narratives provide in-

sights into the connection between childbearing and

spirituality and present significant information

(Callister, 2004b; Rosato et al., 2006). ‘‘Birth stories

actually offer a powerful and rich source of data.

Greater emphasis needs