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• Pregnancy & children >> Making decisions about birth after caesarean >> Aged 36-39 >> Interview 29 >> There was no continuity of care during any of her pregnancies. She found it hard having to re-tell her medical history to every new person she dealt w

1st child delivered with forceps and ventouse. Had bad tear, lost lots of blood. Planned caesarean with 2nd child 16 months later on advice of doctors. Struggled to decide how to deliver 3rd child, pessimistic about her chance of having VBAC, feels planned CS is the safer option.

• Pregnancy & children >> Making decisions about birth after caesarean >> Aged 40 and over >> Interview 05 >> She thinks the NHS have a hidden agenda to push women into vaginal birth to save costs.

Had a very traumatic 1st birth, long labour, CS was offered only after baby went into distress. Felt excluded from decisions and treated unsympathetically. Felt pushed into VBAC with 2nd birth. Chose to go private instead and had planned CS.

• Pregnancy & children >> Making decisions about birth after caesarean >> Aged 40 and over >> Interview 05 >> She felt treated unsympathetically by the consultant and was annoyed to find out she had been excluded from an initial discussion about caesarean.

Had a very traumatic 1st birth, long labour, CS was offered only after baby went into distress. Felt excluded from decisions and treated unsympathetically. Felt pushed into VBAC with 2nd birth. Chose to go private instead and had planned CS.

• Pregnancy & children >> Making decisions about birth after caesarean >> Aged 30 and under >> Susan - Interview 01 >> She would have liked to be more involved in decisions about her care, but once she experienced strong labour pains the right point in time had been mi

First child born by emergency CS. She felt disappointed with the process and keen to give birth to her 2nd child vaginally, but discovered at her 20 week scan that her placenta covered her cervix (placenta previa) so she would need another CS.

• Pregnancy & children >> Making decisions about birth after caesarean >> Aged 30 and under >> Susan - Interview 01 >> She felt left alone during the first stage of labour, then received several unwanted interventions. She thinks a caesarean could have been avoided if

First child born by emergency CS. She felt disappointed with the process and keen to give birth to her 2nd child vaginally, but discovered at her 20 week scan that her placenta covered her cervix (placenta previa) so she would need another CS.

• Pregnancy & children >> Making decisions about birth after caesarean >> Aged 31-35 >> Interview 27 >> She needed antibiotics after developing an infection. The pain from her scar made it hard for her to breastfeed and she did not receive much support f

1st child was breech, had planned caesarean. Struggled to breastfeed and felt low for long after. Wanted planned CS with 2nd child, but felt pushed into VBAC by clinicians. Went into labour early and had emergency CS at 38 weeks, found experience worse than previous.

• Pregnancy & children >> Making decisions about birth after caesarean >> Aged 31-35 >> Interview 19 >> She felt very let down by the lack of support she experienced on the hospital ward. It was hard to be dependent on people that seemed unwilling to hel

Her waters broke 10 days past her due date, but contractions did not start. She was induced, didn't dilate, then had CS after 14 hours of labour. Chose to have a planned CS with 2nd child as felt pessimistic about her chances of having a vaginal birth.

• Pregnancy & children >> Making decisions about birth after caesarean >> Aged 36-39 >> Interview 06 >> Doctors advised her to have a planned caesarean because her baby was big. When he turned out to be normal size, she felt angry initially.

Had planned CS with 1st child due to his expected size. Felt CS was unnecessary, but stress-free way of having baby. Difficult decision with 2nd child, felt both anxious and curious about labour. Now pleased to have had vaginal birth with ventouse.

• Pregnancy & children >> Making decisions about birth after caesarean >> Aged 40 and over >> Interview 05 >> She felt that the risk information she received from NHS doctors was one-sided. She sought out a private consultant and thinks he has provided her wit

Had a very traumatic 1st birth, long labour, CS was offered only after baby went into distress. Felt excluded from decisions and treated unsympathetically. Felt pushed into VBAC with 2nd birth. Chose to go private instead and had planned CS.

• Pregnancy & children >> Making decisions about birth after caesarean >> Aged 31-35 >> Interview 27 >> She suspects most midwives tried to push her into a trial of labour and disapproved of her decision for a caesarean, because they are driven by an age

1st child was breech, had planned caesarean. Struggled to breastfeed and felt low for long after. Wanted planned CS with 2nd child, but felt pushed into VBAC by clinicians. Went into labour early and had emergency CS at 38 weeks, found experience worse than previous.

• Pregnancy & children >> Making decisions about birth after caesarean >> Aged 30 and under >> Interview 17 >> After her previous caesarean, she was told that the shape of her pelvis might cause her problems in future pregnancies but at the time she had no plan

Waters broke but 1st baby's head was outside the pelvis. Induced, then had emergency CS. Agonised over how to deliver 2nd child, persuaded by health professionals to attempt VBAC. Laboured to 7cm, but baby's head not engaged so needed another emergency CS.

• Pregnancy & children >> Making decisions about birth after caesarean >> Aged 31-35 >> Interview 27 >> The pain she felt after her emergency caesarean was much worse than after her previous section. She also felt let down by the lack of continuity in st

1st child was breech, had planned caesarean. Struggled to breastfeed and felt low for long after. Wanted planned CS with 2nd child, but felt pushed into VBAC by clinicians. Went into labour early and had emergency CS at 38 weeks, found experience worse than previous.