Why be informed?

csections.org believe that pregnant women need more information about caesarean birth. Many women who have had a Caesarean Section report having experienced depression and disappointment with their birth. This is not surprising when over half of these caesareans are conducted in unplanned, emergency situations. Similarly, those women that want to have a caesarean and are pushed to have a vaginal delivery risk serious mental and physical trauma. In either case, knowing your [rights - LINK TO CAESAREANS TODAY / RIGHTS SECTION] is essential to making informed decisions. A study in 2000 clearly highlights the impact of forcing a mother down a birth route not of her choosing: a group of women all with "primary tokophobia (a fear of Birth before they have had any children) strongly desired a caesarean birth. Four achieved this, bonded well with their baby and enjoyed excellent psychological health. Three women endured vaginal deliveries against their will; all suffered postnatal depression, two suffered symptoms of PTSD and two had delayed bonding with their infants." 131

Research indicates that poor antenatal education 19 coupled with negative messages 20 about caesareans lead the majority of women to face their birth with little or no information about the caesarean experience. Even those women wishing to elect for a caesarean are likely to have difficulty researching this option as much of the information in the media is written from a negative standpoint.

According to the National Sentinel Audit 2001, 45% of women said they had attended antenatal classes 14.This same survey reported that 48% of women wanted more information about caesarean risks and 43% wanted more information about caesarean benefits.

In the UK at present, statistics show that 1 in 4 women will have a caesarean birth, whether they originally chose to or not. Given such high odds it may help some women feel more comfortable and prepared for all eventualities if they have more information about the caesarean procedure, how to assist their own caeasarean recovery and ways in which they can make a caesarean a more positive experience should they find themselves in this situation.

We believe that the more informed a woman is prior to the commencement of her labour, the more open-minded she is likely to be about the direction her birth takes. Being informed enables her to participate in the discussion about the necessity of an emergency caesarean for example. Research indicates that greater knowledge and a more open mind reduces the incidence of caesarean related depression and improves the feelings women have surrounding the birth of their babies 20. If viewed as a positive alternative, when 'significant medical issues' arise during labour, it should be possible to reduce the fear and stigma associated with such a technique. It should also improve the experience for those women who wish to elect for a caesarean for reasons that do not fit the recognised medical indicators.