Why be informed?

csections.org believe that many pregnant women need more information about caesareans. Many women who have had a Caesarean Section report having experienced depression and disappointment with their birth. This is not so surprising when over half of these caesareans are conducted in emergency situations.

Research indicates that a lack of education 19 and positive 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 if they have more information about the procedure, recovery and ways in which you can make a caesarean a more positive experience.

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.