Background Increasing worldwide rates of cesarean section are of global concern. In recent years, cesarean births upon maternal request have become a hotly debated issue. Hence, this study aimed to explore maternal reasons for cesarean preference without medical indications. Methods A descriptive qualitative study was conducted, using in-depth interviews with 27 pregnant women who preferred cesarean birth, attending antenatal care in Songklanagarind Hospital from September 2018 to June 2019. Data were analyzed using content analysis. Results Maternal reasons for cesarean preference were classified into six main categories: fear of childbirth, safety concerns related to health risk perceptions, negative previous birth experiences, positive attitudes toward cesarean birth, access to biased information and superstitious beliefs in auspicious birth dates. Most women had more than one reason for opting cesarean birth. Conclusion Several reasons for cesarean birth preference have been elucidated. One striking reason was superstitious beliefs in auspicious birth dates, which are challengable for obstetricians to deal with. Obstetricians should explore the exact reasons why women request cesarean birth in order to prevent or diminish unnecessary cesarean births.

Background: The increasing worldwide rate of cesarean sections is of global concern. In recent years, cesarean births upon maternal request have become both a hotly debated issue. Hence, this study aimed to explore maternal reasons for cesarean preference without medical indications.Methods: A descriptive qualitative study was conducted, using in-depth interviews with 27 pregnant women, attending antenatal care in Songklanagarind Hospital from September 2018 to June 2019, who preferred cesarean birth. Data were analyzed using content analysis.Results: Maternal reasons for cesarean preference were classified into six main categories including: fear of childbirth, safety concerns related to health risk perception, negative previous birth experience, positive attitude toward cesarean birth, access to biased information and superstitious belief in auspicious birth dates. Most women had more than one reason for opting cesarean birth. Conclusion: Several reasons for cesarean birth preference have been elucidated. One striking reason was a superstitious belief in auspicious birth dates, which is challengable for obstetricians to deal with. Obstetricians should explore the exact reasons why women request cesarean birth, so as to prevent or diminish unnecessary cesarean births.

Background The increasing worldwide rate of cesarean sections is of global concern, and in recent years, cesarean deliveries upon maternal request have become both an interesting and debated issue. Hence, this study aimed to explore the maternal reasons for cesarean preference without medical indications. Methods A descriptive qualitative study was conducted, using an in-depth interview, with 27 pregnant women, attending antenatal care at Songklanagarind Hospital from September, 2018 to June, 2019, who preferred cesarean delivery. Data were analyzed using content analysis. Results Maternal reasons for cesarean preference were classified into 6 main categories including: fear of childbirth, safety concerns related to health risk perception, negative birth experience, a positive attitude toward cesarean delivery, access to biased information resources and superstitious belief in auspicious birth dates. Most women had more than one reason for choosing cesarean delivery. Conclusion Several reasons for cesarean delivery preference emerging from pregnant women have been elucidated. One striking reason was a superstitious belief in auspicious birth dates, which was challengeable for an obstetrician to approach. Obstetricians should explore the exact reasons why women request cesarean delivery, so as to prevent or diminish unnecessary cesarean sections.

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Background: Increasing worldwide rates of cesarean section are of global concern. In recent years, cesarean births upon maternal request have become a hotly debated issue. Hence, this study aimed to explore maternal reasons for cesarean preference without medical indications.Methods: A descriptive qualitative study was conducted, using in-depth interviews with 27 pregnant women who preferred cesarean birth, attending antenatal care in Songklanagarind Hospital from September 2018 to June 2019. Data were analyzed using content analysis.Results: Maternal reasons for cesarean preference were classified into six main categories: fear of childbirth, safety concerns related to health risk perceptions, negative previous birth experiences, positive attitudes toward cesarean birth, access to biased information and superstitious beliefs in auspicious birth dates. Most women had more than one reason for opting cesarean birth. Conclusion: Several reasons for cesarean birth preference have been elucidated. One striking reason was superstitious beliefs in auspicious birth dates, which are challengable for obstetricians to deal with. Obstetricians should explore the exact reasons why women request cesarean birth in order to prevent or diminish unnecessary cesarean births.