Women's experiences of Caesarean section and vaginal birth after Caesarian: A Birthrites initiative

Abstract

This paper reports the findings of a small pilot study undertaken to identify women's perceptions of their Caesarean section and/or their experience of attempting to achieve a vaginal birth after Caesarean. Fifty-nine women replied to a survey designed and distributed by the consumer organisation Birthrites. The survey consisted of 22 closed and open-ended questions. Descriptive statistics and content analysis were used to analyse the data. Six major factors that impacted on women's perceptions of their birthing experience were identified: (i) 'being supported'; (ii) 'violated expectations'; (iii) 'loss of control'; (iv) 'health professionals' language, attitudes and care practices'; (v) 'the labour experience and the cascade of intervention'; and (vi) 'surgical birth and the separation from the baby'. The results support previous work in this area and demonstrate that some women suffer from psychological trauma following an emergency Caesarean section. The experiences of the women in this small study indicate a need for health professionals to not only better understand the distress that may occur but to also develop a greater understanding of the impact of their interactions with women. The study also provides a consumer 'voice' on current routine hospital policies surrounding vaginal birth after Caesarean and confirms the importance of choice, control and continuity of care for all women regardless of their 'risk' status.

The burden of caesarean section refusal in a developing country setting

“…Previous studies have shown that women have a strong preference for adequate and unbiased information regarding their care in pregnancy. 9 This study agrees with that finding. It is important that antenatal caregivers provide adequate information and counselling to women, as this will probably improve the acceptance of caesarean section.…”

“…Although maternal desire to achieve vaginal delivery and perception of caesarean section as a sign of reproductive failure is not peculiar to Nigerian women, 9 this study suggests that there may be serious implications to these in the Nigerian context. While women with such feelings in developed countries usually accept caesarean sections when indicated, the opposite seems to apply to Nigerian women.…”

Women Give Birth and Pizzas Are Delivered: Language and Western Childbirth Paradigms

“…Indeed, this could be one reason for the newly evolved psychiatric terminology, "tokophobia," used to describe the fear and anxiety some women experience surrounding childbirth. 26 Fenwick et al 27 surveyed 59 women in Australia and North America about their perceptions of their birth experience after having a cesarean birth. All participants were members of an organization that supports consumer information about cesarean birth.…”

Use of a Classification Tool to Determine Groups of Women That Contribute to the Cesarean Section Rate: Establishing a Baseline for Clinical Decision Making and Quality Improvement

“…To this end, maternity hospitals need to reexamine how best to provide care in a subsequent pregnancy. Policies and procedures for women having a VBAC should reflect the best available evidence and move away from inflexible, restrictive, and detrimental practices (Fenwick, Gamble, & Mawson, 2003). Women with a history of a CS should be able to access noninterventionist environments such as birth centers and midwifery continuity of care models.…”