Women's agency and reproductive control have direct bearing on the
outcome of their pregnancy as well as their future childbearing
experiences. The present study is mainly concerned with the process of
knowledge construction with regards to decision-making, in the context
of childbirth planning. The study drew on cultural discourses to
understand the societal and familial context which reinforces
traditional home birthing. The study used anthropological approach and
mainly relied on in-depth and narrative interviews that were conducted
with 60 married women of childbearing age who went through the process
of childbirth. Phenomenological ethnography is the methodology that used
in-depth face to face interviews to collect narratives of experiential
knowledge of the pregnancies and agency. Field findings indicate that
significant determinants for these childbearing women included the
desire for a natural childbirth experience, apprehensions regarding
obstetric interventions by medical doctors, provision of emotional
support, comfort and assistance provided by female relatives and
traditional birth attendants and also the influence of their husbands
who prefer their partners giving birth at home. In addition, another
prominent finding of this study is the role of authoritative knowledge
and shared experiences of older women that may deprive many young women
from accessing maternal care survives at hospitals. The study concludes
to enable rural women to make well informed decisions about their babies
and bodies to improve the utilization of reproductive health care
services in Pakistan.