Code definitions and examples.

Table 3: Code definitions and examples.

Code Label	Definition	Description	Examples
Laborist Role
Laborist midwife role	How laborist midwives view their role as part of the patient’s care team	Define the difference between the laborist service midwife and a more traditional model	· ‘This model is literally a snapshot of their pregnancy’ · ‘You’re meeting this person for the first time during one of the most important experiences of their life’
Role definition/explanation	Describe the role of laborist midwife	How laborist midwives explain their roles to patients and families	· ‘We have undivided priorities; we focus on laboring women and families” · ‘We are here to provide help, guidance, and support for you and your family’
Patient Response	Midwives’ experience with patient responses to the laborist service model and laborist midwives	How have patients responded to the laborist midwives	· ‘A family I never met before they came to the hospital in labor, returned a week later and brought me a box of cookies; I felt like they had given me a million dollars.’ · ‘They ask me to be in their photos with the new baby’
Job/Role Satisfaction	How satisfied are midwives with their role in a laborist service	The midwives are comparing to previous experience in a full-scope practice	· ‘There’s no rush in patient management; there’s more room to respect patient wishes and desires’ · ‘I can give my undivided attention to labor and delivery and my patients’
Midwife-Patient Relationship
Initial patient/family and laborist midwife meeting	The first time the midwife and patient and family meet when the patient presents to the hospital in labor	The initial contact lays the foundation for a supportive working relationship between the patient, family and midwife	· ‘During the introduction it is important they see me not just as a care provider or staff member and that I recognize they are not just a patient in a bed’ · ‘I ask if they have and wishes or dreams for their birth’
Bonded relationship	Establishing a meaningful bond and working relationship with the patient and family	Creating an honest, purposeful relationship with the patient and family contributes to a unique and meaningful birth experience	· ‘This is like a first date; we have to get to know each other and lay the foundation of our relationship’ · ‘We negotiate, discuss, and together make a plan for the day’
Personal investment in the patient relationship	Discern whether midwives resist engaging or invest as fully as they did with long-term patients	Since the interaction with the patient and family are time-limited, does the midwife resist engaging on a personal level	· ‘My role as a midwife is to not be disconnected’ · ‘No because this birth is part of their story, this could be a once in a lifetime event and this story is what they will share with their families and children forever.’
Delivering bad news	Navigating negative patient encounters	With no pre-established trust relationship, describing how laborist midwives manage situations with angry or disappointed patients	· ‘Be honest and supportive’ · ‘I try to help them understand so she doesn’t feel like something has happened to her; rather, she’s part of the decision in the way her delivery unfolds’
Experience of Birth
Approaches to labor management	How each midwife approaches the labor and birth process	Keeping the labor and birth patient-focused	· ‘We [patient and I] work as a team as we move through her labor and birth’ · ‘Keep the focus and power with the woman’
Philosophy of birth	A concise description of how these laborist midwives view birth	A midwife brings her philosophy of birth to every labor and birth she attends, this influences the way she interacts with patients and their families	· ‘I want her to feel powerful, that this was a life, milestone achievement, not merely something she survived’ · ‘It’s a privilege and an honor to be involved with this family on this very important day in their life’