Table 3.
Opinions of midwifes and obstetricians on prenatal care and their education.
| Midwives (n = 121) n (%) |
Obstetricians (n = 179) n (%) |
|
|---|---|---|
| Additional care needed for pregnant women on a plant-based diet in addition to regular care | ||
| Yes | 106 (87.6) | 112 (61.3) |
| Refer to a dietitian | 30 (24.8) | 26 (14.5) |
| Giving nutritional advice | 37 (30.5) | 21 (11.7) |
| Advise against plant-based diet in pregnancy | 1 (0.8) | 1 (0.56) |
| Blood test for vitamin status | 22 (18.2) | 42 (23.5) |
| Checking specifically vitamin B12 in blood | 25 (20.7) | 11 (6.1) |
| Checking specifically haemoglobin in blood | 29 (24.0) | 25 (13.9) |
| Additional blood tests in general | 8 (6.6) | 5 (2.8) |
| Giving supplements | 24 (19.8) | 27 (15.1) |
| Not sure/unknown | 8 (6.6) | 6 (3.4) |
| Extra ultrasound of fetus | 0 (0.0) | 2 (1.1) |
| Check relevant literature for advice | 0 (0.0) | 13 (7.3) |
| No | 15 (12.4) | 67 (37.4) |
| Who is responsible for recommendations concerning breastfeeding | ||
| Obstetrician | 1 (0.8) | 77 (43.0) |
| Midwife | 98 (81.6) | 55 (30.7) |
| Nurse | 11 (1.8) | 54 (30.2) |
| Dietitian | 23 (20.3) | 75 (41.9) |
| Dutch Centre for Nutrition | 17 (14) | 57 (31.8) |
| Government | 2 (1.8) | 12 (6.7) |
| General practitioner | 3 (2.6) | 15 (8.4) |
| Children’s health clinic | 22 (19.3) | 62 (34.6) |
| Patients themselves | 19 (16.7) | 61 (34.1) |
| Lactation consultant | 23 (19.3) | 44 (24.6) |
| Not sure/unknown | 4 (3.3) | 7 (3.9) |
| I have sufficient knowledge to advise women on strict plant-based diet in pregnancy | ||
| Yes | 29 (23.9) | 13 (7.2) |
| No | 80 (66.1) | 135 (75.4) |
| Not sure/unknown | 12 (9.9) | 31 (17.3) |
| I was educated about nutrition | ||
| Yes, I think I have learned enough | 37 (30.6) | 10 (5.6) |
| Yes, but it was insufficient | 54 (44.6) | 61 (34.1) |
| No, I did not/barely learned about nutrition | 29 (24.0) | 107 (59.8) |
| Unknown | 1 (0.8) | 1 (0.8) |
| Care for pregnant women on strict plant-based diet could be improved by..* | ||
| Every midwife/obstetrician should have sufficient knowledge | 35 (28.9) | 29 (16.2) |
| One midwife/obstetrician in each practice should have sufficient knowledge | 3 (2.7) | 32 (17.9) |
| The midwife/obstetrician should signal and refer to a dietitian | 37 (30.6) | 98 (54.7) |
| The midwife/obstetrician should signal and refer to a website/flyer | 34 (28.1) | 109 (60.9) |
| No specific role | 5 (4.1) | 4 (2.2) |
| Other… | 11 (9.1) | 6 (3.3) |
| Unknown | 5 (4.1) | 7 (3.9) |
* Midwives could pick one answer, obstetricians could pick multiple answers.