Delivery Mode Preference and Associated Factors among Pregnant Mothers in Harar Regional State, Eastern Ethiopia: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Background. The right to prefer mode of delivery is a crucial component of compassionate and respectful care that fosters both maternal and neonatal well-being as the failure to respect the mother’s interest increases to the risk of maternal depression and posttraumatic stress. Thus, the aim of the study was to assess delivery mode preference and associated factors among pregnant women. Methods and Materials. The study was conducted in two hospitals and two health centers. We used a cross-sectional study design incorporating 398 pregnant mothers attending an antenatal care follow-up from February to May 2018. The study excluded pregnant mothers with any previous uterine surgery including caesarean delivery from participation due to their restricted chance to prefer their mode of delivery. Data were collected by using a pretested questionnaire. Data were entered to EpiData Manager version 3.1 and exported to Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 22 for analysis. Besides, the analysis included both the bivariate and multivariable analyses to check the association between dependent and independent variables. Finally, level of statistical significance was declared at P value < 0.05. Result. The participant’s level of response was 100% (398). The age of the mothers ranges from 15 to 45 years old. The delivery mode preference of the caesarean section (C/S) and spontaneous vertex delivery (SVD) was 115 (28.9%) and 283 (71.1%), respectively. The study revealed that planned 47 pregnancy [AOR, 1.76; CI: 0.89-3.47], young age [AOR, 12.9; CI: 0.23-7.1], and primigravida [AOR, 1.24; CI: 0.29-5.2] were among the variables associated with maternal preference of caesarean section. Conclusion and Recommendation. Nearly one-third of the mothers preferred caesarean delivery as their mode of delivery due to fear of labor pain and repeated vaginal examination by the care providers. This is particularly seen in women who had received higher education level, claim their pregnancy as planned, their choice of delivery at hospital, young aged, pregnant for the first time, and those who had visited antenatal care repeatedly. This implies that policy makers and stakeholders should exert due emphasis to ongoing desire of caesarean delivery as the procedure is not without risk, if it is done without indication. For researchers, we recommend to investigate the preference of mode of delivery in a much broader aspect.

The Preferences of Modes of Child Delivery and Associated Factors Among Pregnant Women in Southern Ethiopia

“…The findings of the present research differ from the findings of a related study conducted in Eastern Ethiopia by Welay et al, 24 which found that nearly one-third of the mothers preferred cesarean section due to fear of labor pain and repeated vaginal examination by the healthcare providers. Perhaps this inconsistency could be attributed to methodological differences between the two studies.…”

“…Perhaps this inconsistency could be attributed to methodological differences between the two studies. For instance, in their study, Welay et al 24 excluded pregnant women who have previously delivered through cesarean section and those who had previous uterine rupture. The present study differs from this research in the sense that it includes all pregnant women in the study area attending antenatal care in both private and public healthcare facilities.…”

“…Consistent to this, previous related studies conducted both in other parts of Ethiopia and in other countries have found an association between these variables and the independent variable. For instance, Welay et al 24 found level of education, planned pregnancy, age, choice of place of delivery, frequency of antenatal care attendance, and primigravida were the factors associated with pregnant women’s preference of cesarean section delivery.…”

“…Few items of the questionnaire used to collect data for this study were taken and adopted to the context of the present research from the studies of Alabdullah et al 17 and Welay et al, 24 both of which are published in the form of open access articles. Most items of the questionnaire, however, were prepared by the authors of the present study in the way they can address the research question set out at the beginning.…”

Women’s preferences of mode of delivery in rural and urban communities- gharbia governorate, Egypt

“…According to the results of the current study, immediate breastfeeding, will cause no scar, better care of the baby, immediate contact with the baby, feeling childbirth, short hospital stay, the effect of the media and safer for the baby are the most significant causes of preference of VD. This was similar to a study done by Ibrahim et al, 2021(25) and a study was done in Ethiopia by Welay et al, 2021 [26] . The present study showed that being less painful than vaginal delivery, being easier than vaginal delivery, being safer for the baby, and have no effect on postpartum sexual life were the most significant causes of preference of caesarean delivery.…”