"StEM [Stem en Ervaringen van Moeders] Voices and experiences of mothers" 

How a woman experience pregnancy and childbirth have immediate and long-term implications for herself, her family and the society in which she lives. The Dutch interdisciplinary “Care Standard Integrated Maternity Care”, issued in 2016 highlights the importance of improving women’s experiences during pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum period as a critical aspect of ensuring high quality maternity care. This thesis showed that a woman’s experience during pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum period is a complex, multidimensional concept encompassing biomedical, psychological, social, and societal aspects. Amidst this complexity, it appears that “being in control" and relational aspects of care are of more importance for shaping women’s experiences during pregnancy and childbirth than obstetric interventions and personal characteristics. To improve women’s perinatal experiences, personalised woman-centred care and a health orientated approach must be structurally embedded in all levels of the changing landscape of Dutch maternity care.