Homebirth: intimate partners' perspectives

This bachelor thesis addresses the topic of a planned home-birth from the perspective of the father of the child and investigates his role in the decision-making concerning the birth place and the birth itself. The experience of the man is examined in the context of the whole couple. The thesis is based on qualitative research which examines the above-mentioned topics in the Czech context using semi-structured interviews with women who gave birth at home and their partners. The empirical chapters represent the results of the thematic analysis and their interpretation, supported by relevant literature. The thematic categories that frame the respondents' statements are three: decision-making process, presence at birth and the presence of the father from the mother's point of view. The study indicates that men are often not fully integrated into the decision-making process itself. The reasons for the low level of integration of men into the decision-making process can be found on the part of both women and men. The work presents which factors might determine the male experience with home birth, as well as which circumstances might affect the degree of involvement in childbirth itself. Furthermore, the work presents strategies by which men overcome the fears associated with childbirth at home and..