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Making decisions about birth after caesarean

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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 36-39 >> Interview 07 >> She had conflicting advice from the community midwives and from staff at the hospital about her chances of having a vaginal birth.

Went 14 days overdue with 1st child, was induced, then had CS after 2 days of labour. Advised to have planned CS with 2nd child, booked for 10 days past due date, still hoping to go into labour. Surprised by her positive experience of 2nd caesarean.

Pregnancy & children >> Making decisions about birth after caesarean >> Aged 31-35 >> Interview 09 >> She thinks giving women balanced information about all possible risks might conflict with giving them reassurance and encouragement about their birth

Pregnant with twins, had CS when she did not dilate beyond 9cm. Felt happy with her care and recovered well but disliked need for support after the operation. Keen to have vaginal birth with 2nd child. Went two weeks overdue, then delivered very quickly after being induced.

Pregnancy & children >> Making decisions about birth after caesarean >> Aged 30 and under >> Interview 23 >> She thinks midwives don't encourage discussion about complications because they don't want to worry women. It is useful to have a decision aid that pr

Had lengthy labour with 1st child after being induced, taken for emergency CS after baby's heart beat dropped. Explored options early in 2nd pregnancy, decided on VBAC. 2nd child born after 10 hours, painful labour but great sense of achievement.

Pregnancy & children >> Making decisions about birth after caesarean >> Aged 36-39 >> Interview 12 >> She thinks information to women should be provided by midwives instead of doctors, because birth has become too medical and midwives have a more posit

Keen on vaginal birth with 1st child, felt she lost control at hospital, had various interventions and emergency CS. Decided to have VBAC with 2nd child against consultant's advice, but supported by doula and midwife. Very pleased with unassisted birth.

Pregnancy & children >> Making decisions about birth after caesarean >> Aged 30 and under >> Interview 23 >> She thinks women should be able to have full choice, but they need good quality information to make an informed decision.

Pregnancy & children >> Making decisions about birth after caesarean >> Aged 31-35 >> Interview 19 >> She would advise women to consider all available information and not be afraid to ask for a planned caesarean if that was their choice. Played by an a

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 15 >> She thinks it is important to seek information and advice from health professionals, but in the end the decision rests with each woman individually.

Went overdue with 1st child and was induced at 42 weeks, but drugs had no effect. Delivered 3 days later by epidural CS. Determined to have planned CS with 2nd child, as felt unlikely she would go into labour. Planned CS was a wonderful experience, far less tiring.

Pregnancy & children >> Making decisions about birth after caesarean >> Aged 30 and under >> Interview 14 >> She would advise women not to rush into a decision but to take their time and talk to others before making up their minds.

Admitted to hospital with pre-eclampsia, 1st child was born 6 weeks premature and had to spend 10 days in SCBU. Found it very difficult to decide how to give birth to 2nd child, worried about risks either way. Had vaginal birth assisted by ventouse.

Pregnancy & children >> Making decisions about birth after caesarean >> Aged 30 and under >> Interview 16 >> She thinks women need to allow themselves time to consider all options rather than just have another caesarean by default.

Had emergency CS after 18 hours of labour due to 1st baby's large size and awkward position. Recovery was difficult, felt low and exhausted for one month. Same problems of size and position with 2nd pregnancy, advised to have planned CS. Planned CS was much better experience.

Pregnancy & children >> Making decisions about birth after caesarean >> Aged 31-35 >> Interview 27 >> Health professionals should inform women that there is a decision to be made and provide them with the necessary information.

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 09 >> She found it helpful to use a decision aid that allowed her to revisit information and think about her preferences outside the hospital environment.

Pregnancy & children >> Making decisions about birth after caesarean >> Aged 30 and under >> Interview 23 >> She thinks it's important to be confronted with the facts, even if they can be scary.

Pregnancy & children >> Making decisions about birth after caesarean >> Aged 36-39 >> Interview 07 >> She thinks midwives are best placed to give women information, because they are the professionals that women see the most. Having a midwife she knew a

Pregnancy & children >> Making decisions about birth after caesarean >> Aged 31-35 >> Interview 26 >> She thinks health professionals should make sure that information that might influence women's decision-making is accurate.

1st child born prematurely at 30 weeks by emergency CS due to preeclampsia. Had good physical recovery but felt 'in shock'. 13 years later felt keen and confident to have VBAC with 2nd child. Had short but intense labour, birth was painful but 'amazing experience'.

Pregnancy & children >> Making decisions about birth after caesarean >> Aged 31-35 >> Interview 28 >> She thinks it's important that health professionals take into account women's past experiences and support them in their decision-making without tryin

Difficult pregnancy, laboured for 2 days, then found baby was double-breech and had emergency CS. Had trouble breastfeeding and felt very low for 6 months. Uncertain about how to deliver 2nd child, leaned towards planned CS but went into labour early and had VBAC as operating theatre was busy.

Pregnancy & children >> Making decisions about birth after caesarean >> Aged 31-35 >> Interview 09 >> She understands that health professionals have to inform women about all the risks but thinks they could do more to encourage women that VBAC is possi

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 30 and under >> Interview 16 >> After she had booked her caesarean, she received a leaflet describing the pros and cons. It would have been good to have the information before meetin

Pregnancy & children >> Making decisions about birth after caesarean >> Aged 30 and under >> Interview 24 >> She didn't rate her antenatal classes very highly, but the fact that they had covered complications meant she did not feel too worried when she hersel

Had planned CS one week pat her due date when it was found that baby had stopped moving. Mother experienced rupture and needed a blood transfusion. Wanted a water birth with 2nd child but advised to have planned CS due to previous complications.

Pregnancy & children >> Making decisions about birth after caesarean >> Aged 31-35 >> Interview 13 >> The information she received on planned caesarean did not prepare her for the difficult recovery she experienced. She would have liked to be told befo

1st child was breech, so had planned CS. Various complications made her keen to avoid repeat CS. Asserted herself against doctors' recommendations. 2nd child born after 12 hour labour with help of ventouse. Pleased with experience, recovered much better.

Pregnancy & children >> Making decisions about birth after caesarean >> Aged 30 and under >> Interview 16 >> Knowing more about the likelihood of birth complications might have helped her cope better with her own experience of caesarean.

Pregnancy & children >> Making decisions about birth after caesarean >> Aged 30 and under >> Interview 23 >> She thinks TV programmes will often give you a more personal perspective but might not be as informative because they talk about what happened to just

Pregnancy & children >> Making decisions about birth after caesarean >> Aged 30 and under >> Susan - Interview 01 >> She had decided early on that she wanted to attempt vaginal delivery and looked at various websites to prepare herself for discussions with health pro

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 13 >> She made friends with other women who were keen to attempt vaginal birth through an internet website and found it a supportive experience.

Pregnancy & children >> Making decisions about birth after caesarean >> Aged 40 and over >> Interview 05 >> She looked up information from official medical and scientific websites, but did not trust magazines or chatrooms as sources of information.

Pregnancy & children >> Making decisions about birth after caesarean >> Aged 36-39 >> Interview 29 >> She has used websites where women share their experiences but also sites designed for health professionals. The latter can be difficult to understand.

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 30 and under >> Interview 16 >> She thinks women are more likely to trust the advice of other women who have had a caesarean than doctors.

Pregnancy & children >> Making decisions about birth after caesarean >> Aged 31-35 >> Interview 27 >> She had not been aware that she could choose to have a caesarean instead of a trial of labour. Using a decision aid gave her more balanced information

Pregnancy & children >> Making decisions about birth after caesarean >> Aged 40 and over >> Interview 05 >> She found it helpful to use a decision aid that was not driven by any particular agenda and was happy that she could have changed her mind about havin

Pregnancy & children >> Making decisions about birth after caesarean >> Aged 31-35 >> Interview 26 >> Her decision to attempt vaginal delivery was guided more by instinct and listening to her body than by information about risks.

Pregnancy & children >> Making decisions about birth after caesarean >> Aged 31-35 >> Interview 11 >> She thinks without the extra information she got from the decision aid she might have felt overwhelmed by the task of reaching a decision by herself.

Rushed to have CS after baby passed meconium and stopped moving. Had quick recovery. Keen to experience vaginal birth with 2nd child, laboured for 66 hours. Some complications afterwards but glad to have experienced giving birth both ways.

Pregnancy & children >> Making decisions about birth after caesarean >> Aged 36-39 >> Interview 29 >> She was surprised that the consultant just asked about her preference rather than engage her in discussion. She had expected more of a two-way process

Pregnancy & children >> Making decisions about birth after caesarean >> Aged 31-35 >> Interview 03 >> She didn't consider the possibility of caesarean and not knowing anything about it made the experience particularly traumatic.

Very keen to have intervention-free birth with 1st child, laboured to 9cm, then had CS when baby passed meconium. Felt cheated and upset long after. Wanted VBAC with 2nd child but opted for CS when 2 weeks overdue. Planned CS was much better than expected.

Pregnancy & children >> Making decisions about birth after caesarean >> Aged 40 and over >> Interview 02 >> The antenatal classes provided her with all the information she felt she needed. The breathing techniques she had learned turned out to be very helpfu

Laboured to 8cm dilation with 1st child. Cord wrapped round baby's neck, had emergency CS under general anaesthetic. Chose VBAC for next birth because of quicker recovery. 2nd child born in 2½ hours, though had to have epidural afterwards to remove placenta.

Pregnancy & children >> Making decisions about birth after caesarean >> Aged 30 and under >> Interview 23 >> Even though she admits that seeking out information about birth and labour can be scary or embarrassing, she'd rather prepare herself as much as she c

Pregnancy & children >> Making decisions about birth after caesarean >> Aged 30 and under >> Susan - Interview 01 >> She thinks having access to trustworthy information is particularly important during a first pregnancy, but magazines cannot be relied on to provide o

Pregnancy & children >> Making decisions about birth after caesarean >> Aged 36-39 >> Interview 25 >> She found her antenatal classes the most useful source of information. They included a visit to the local hospital and information on birth assists an

Wanted intervention-free birth, but was induced when 14 days overdue. Laboured for 19 hours, accepted CS when baby became distressed. Felt involved in decision-making, but disappointed afterwards. Keen to experience vaginal birth with 2nd child.

Pregnancy & children >> Making decisions about birth after caesarean >> Aged 30 and under >> Interview 14 >> She read pregnancy magazines to help her make up her mind about how to give birth.

Pregnancy & children >> Making decisions about birth after caesarean >> Aged 30 and under >> Interview 16 >> Finding out about the risks can be scary, but she thinks it's better to know than not know. Computers can make information more easily accessible.

Pregnancy & children >> Making decisions about birth after caesarean >> Aged 40 and over >> Interview 08 >> She felt empowered by the information she got from taking part in the DiAMOND trial but at the same time did not want to burden other mothers with the

Keen on unassisted birth with 1st child. Slow to go into labour and dilate. Had epidural and then CS 2 days after waters broke. Felt cheated at first but adjusted with time. Had planned CS with 2nd child to avoid previous ordeal.

Pregnancy & children >> Making decisions about birth after caesarean >> Aged 31-35 >> Interview 19 >> Statistics about the likelihood of women having a vaginal birth after caesarean confirmed her decision to have a planned caesarean. Played by an actor

Pregnancy & children >> Making decisions about birth after caesarean >> Aged 36-39 >> Interview 12 >> She gathered information from as many sources as possible, but her decision to attempt VBAC was made independently of what she found out. Represented

Pregnancy & children >> Making decisions about birth after caesarean >> Aged 36-39 >> Interview 29 >> She thinks women are likely to look for information that confirms rather than challenges the birth preference they already have.

Pregnancy & children >> Making decisions about birth after caesarean >> Aged 31-35 >> Interview 03 >> She found it helpful that her doctor tried to find out what she wanted and offered her reassurance rather than just providing her with routine factual

Pregnancy & children >> Making decisions about birth after caesarean >> Aged 31-35 >> Interview 28 >> Health professionals thought that as a second time mother she needed less support, but she would have liked more information and a chance to go to ant

Pregnancy & children >> Making decisions about birth after caesarean >> Aged 31-35 >> Interview 11 >> She asked to see a consultant early on in her pregnancy to find out whether the problems with her placenta that had led to her previous caesarean were

Pregnancy & children >> Making decisions about birth after caesarean >> Aged 36-39 >> Interview 15 >> She was disappointed that the consultant she saw at the hospital was just going through standard advice rather than tailoring the information to her p

Pregnancy & children >> Making decisions about birth after caesarean >> Aged 36-39 >> Interview 25 >> She was surprised at how little information there was available for pregnant women who have had a previous caesarean.

Pregnancy & children >> Making decisions about birth after caesarean >> Aged 31-35 >> Interview 09 >> She assumed that after her first caesarean she was likely to need another one. Once she learned that she could attempt vaginal birth she wanted to kno

Pregnancy & children >> Making decisions about birth after caesarean >> Aged 40 and over >> Interview 30 >> She wanted to know how feasible it was for her to attempt vaginal birth and was relieved to learn that she would not be induced.

Wanted waterbirth with 1st child, went overdue. Induced at 42 weeks, did not dilate despite interventions. Baby delivered by emergency CS after heart rate dropped. Trusted medical team and feels no regrets, but hopes to have vaginal birth with 2nd child.

Pregnancy & children >> Making decisions about birth after caesarean >> Aged 31-35 >> Interview 11 >> She would have liked to attend antenatal classes to refresh her knowledge of labour and pain relief. Women in the parentcraft classes had other intere

Pregnancy & children >> Making decisions about birth after caesarean >> Aged 31-35 >> Interview 28 >> With hindsight, it would have been helpful to know more about the different kinds of pain relief available during labour before a caesarean.

Pregnancy & children >> Making decisions about birth after caesarean >> Aged 31-35 >> Interview 27 >> She did not see her midwives much in her second pregnancy and was unsure where to look for balanced and reliable information, so she was pleased to ta

Pregnancy & children >> Making decisions about birth after caesarean >> Aged 36-39 >> Interview 06 >> Her questions changed throughout her pregnancy. She would have liked to talk to a midwife outside of formal appointments. Having web-based information

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 31-35 >> Interview 26 >> She did not experience many worries during her pregnancy and was happy to leave things to professional judgement.

Pregnancy & children >> Making decisions about birth after caesarean >> Aged 30 and under >> Interview 23 >> In her experience, midwives will often gloss over the risks to reassure women.

Pregnancy & children >> Making decisions about birth after caesarean >> Aged 40 and over >> Interview 05 >> She thinks the emphasis on natural birth in her NCT classes made it harder for her to come to terms with her first caesarean. Knowing in advance how c

Pregnancy & children >> Making decisions about birth after caesarean >> Aged 31-35 >> Interview 28 >> She got most of her information from books and the internet and saw the antenatal classes mainly as an opportunity to get to know other mothers-to-be.

Pregnancy & children >> Making decisions about birth after caesarean >> Aged 31-35 >> Interview 28 >> She thinks that sometimes it can be better not to know too much and to put your trust in the professionals instead.

Pregnancy & children >> Making decisions about birth after caesarean >> Aged 31-35 >> Interview 27 >> She tried various methods to turn her breech baby, but it didn't work. She found books more useful than antenatal classes and would have liked better

Pregnancy & children >> Making decisions about birth after caesarean >> Aged 36-39 >> Interview 12 >> Having been told that her baby was large, she would have liked to receive better information and support to prepare for his birth. Played by an actor.

Pregnancy & children >> Making decisions about birth after caesarean >> Aged 31-35 >> Interview 03 >> She felt that the relationship with her team of midwives was very basic and businesslike.

Pregnancy & children >> Making decisions about birth after caesarean >> Aged 31-35 >> Interview 10 >> She sought out as much information as she could with her first pregnancy but thinks in the end nothing can really prepare you.

Reached final stage of labour with 1st child, cord wrapped around baby's neck, had last minute CS. Felt cheated and experienced postnatal depression. Determined to have vaginal birth with 2nd child. Had easy labour and 'perfect' birth experience.

Pregnancy & children >> Making decisions about birth after caesarean >> Aged 31-35 >> Interview 20 >> She bought a book but didn't actually read the section on birth and felt that other women often told her more than she needed to know.

Went 8 days overdue with 1st child, laboured for 48 hours. Had epidural and then emergency CS when child became distressed. Easy recovery but felt wrong about having planned CS with 2nd child. Considered it during labour but persevered and had vaginal birth assisted by forceps.