Women\'s fear of childbirth and its impact on selection of birth method: a qualitative study

Abstract

birth method; that are normal delivery or cesarean section. Methods: This was a qualitative study. Eighteen pregnant and postnatal women (4 pregnant and 14 postnatal) were recruited using a purposive sampling method in 3 hospitals and 2 healthcare centers in Ahvaz, Iran. Participants were interviewed and were asked why they choose a given method for childbirth. The data analysis was conducted concurrently and interviews were continued until data saturation was achieved. Content analysis was performed to explore the data. Results: The main theme emerged was ‘fear of childbirth including two categories: fear of childbirth process and concern about normal delivery complications. Fear of childbirth process included the following subcategories: general fear of childbirth, fear of labor pain, fear of a difficult vaginal delivery, stressful atmosphere of labor room, fear of being caught unaware during the labor and concerns of being called back by husband in choosing a normal delivery; and concern about normal delivery complications included the following subcategories: fear of fetal- neonatal adverse effects, concerns about body shape deformity after a normal delivery. Conclusion: Fear of childbirth plays important role in selection of a given birth method, that is cesarean section, by Iranian women.

Keywords

• birth method selection
• cesarean section
• fear of childbirth
• iranian women
• qualitative research