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The easy option? : Australian findings on mothers’ perception of elective caesarean as a birth choice after a prior caesarean section
journal contribution
posted on 2017-12-06, 00:00 authored by Pamela McgrathPamela Mcgrath, Gillian Ray-BarruelAs the rate of primary and repeat Caesareans around the world increases, obstetricians, midwives and primary careproviders are being expected to provide counsel to women seeking information regarding birth choices for delivery after a prior emergency Caesarean. This article seeks to contribute to the knowledge on this topic by presenting research findings from a qualitative study designed to explore, from the mothers’ perspective, the decision-making experience with regards to subsequent birth choice for women who have previously delivered by Caesarean section. Specifically, the findings in this article present the perspective of the mothers who opted for elective Caesarean. Eighty per cent of mothers in this study chose elective Caesarean for reasons of fear and the desire to retain some control over the birthing process. For many, this decision is made prior to or early in pregnancy without any openness to consider other possibilities. Thus, the findings strongly emphasize the importance of understanding and taking into consideration the mothers’ psychosocial perspective on birth choices as a key to providing counsel and support.
Funding
Category 2 - Other Public Sector Grants Category
History
Volume
15Issue
4Start Page
271End Page
279Number of Pages
9eISSN
1440-172XISSN
1322-7114Location
Hong KongPublisher
BlackwellPublisher DOI
Full Text URL
Language
en-ausPeer Reviewed
- Yes
Open Access
- No
External Author Affiliations
Institute for Health and Social Science Research (IHSSR); International Program of Psycho-Social Health Research;Era Eligible
- Yes