Table 2 Inclusion and exclusion criteria

Participants

People attending the birth for the first or repeated time

Focus on experiences of the birthing woman

Focus on specific group of people or age range

Doulas

Exposure

Focus on overall birth experience

Focus on prenatal or postnatal experience or mental disorder

Focus on antenatal classes

Focus on transition to fatherhood

Setting

Clinical setting

Homebirth or birth centre

Birth mode

All term birth modes as long as vaginal birth is included

Focus on caesarean or instrumental birth

Focus on premature birth

Focus on birth with complications or traumatic birth

Countries

North-, South- and West-Europe, Canada, Australia, New Zealand

Eastern Europe, North and South America, developing and emerging countries

Time period

Published after 2000

Published before 2000

Language

All languages

-

Type of studies

Quantitative, qualitative and mixed-method

Editorials, reports, grey literature; reviews