Published in:
01-03-2010 | Original Research Article
Speaking Out! Qualitative Insights on the Experience of Mothers Who Wanted a Vaginal Birth after a Birth by Cesarean Section
Published in: The Patient - Patient-Centered Outcomes Research | Issue 1/2010
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Background: Despite the documented rise in the rates of births by cesarean section (CS) in Australia, there is scant work on the psycho-social aspects of such birth choices. To address the lack of research on this topic, this article presents a subset of findings from a research project that explored, from the mothers’ perspectives, the birthing experience and process of decision making about the mode of delivery for a subsequent birth after a previous CS.
Objective: The focus of this article is on the subset of findings that recorded the frustration of women who valued a vaginal delivery but who delivered by CS.
Methods: The study utilized descriptive phenomenology, with in-depth, open-ended interviews conducted with the research participants. The setting was a small regional hospital in Queensland, Australia, with about 20% of patients managed on the midwifery model of care. This article is based on the subset of findings that record the frustration of women (eight mothers of a total participant group of 20) who valued a vaginal delivery but who delivered by CS. The women all had a previous CS and had a subsequent birth at the Redland Hospital 6 weeks prior to the interviews, which were held in June 2008.
Results: The findings establish that this group of mothers felt frustrated by their body’s inability to give birth naturally, disappointed that they had no option but a CS, and carried emotional pain about the unfairness of the judgment that they should have achieved a vaginal birth after a birth byCS.
Conclusions: These women expressed a strong desire to have their story told. It is the hope and expectation that this article will enable their voice to be heard and, in so doing, make a contribution towards deepening our understanding of the multiplicity of perspectives that women bring to their birthing experiences. The findings are a strong argument against any generalization that women who opt for an elective CS are doing so simply for reasons of ease and convenience.