Evrard, Anne <br/><br/>
Birthing pains: When women’s experiences meet health-care professionals’ representations 

 -  2021.<br/>							 
<br/><br/> 86 
<br/><br/> Birthing stories regularly show a difference in how the pain is experienced by women and couples and how health-care professionals respond to this pain. Whilst a supportive team adapting to the needs of a couple can be a source of encouragement and confidence, the actions of health care professionals can equally destabilize their sense of security, their self-image, and even their experience of pain. Using women’s testimonies, this article explores the impact of the attitude and actions of professionals during antenatal care and birth, the judgment experienced by women over how they express pain, and the various situations in which such expressions are denied or minimized. It outlines the influence of personal representations and projections on the attitudes of health-care professionals, and how these can tie in to a response that is adapted to the needs of women and couples.