MATERNAL PERCEPTIONS AND MOTIVATIONS TOWARDS ELECTIVE CAESAREAN DELIVERY WITHOUT MEDICAL INDICATIONS : AN EXPLORATORY QUALITATIVE STUDY

Abstract

Aim The aim of this study was to explore the perceptions and motivating factors on decision making process among childbearing women who choose Caesarean Section (CS) without any medical indications in Singapore. Background The rates of CS have been growing significantly worldwide and are currently higher than those deemed appropriate by the World Health Organization (WHO). This suggests the presence of other factors driving childbearing women to choose Caesarean delivery without medical indications. The dearth in existing literature locally reveals a need to gain a deeper understanding of the perceptions and motivations of childbearing women in Singapore to opt for Caesarean delivery over natural childbirth. Methods Exploratory qualitative study design was adopted. Purposive sampling was used to recruit fifteen participants from the Obstetric clinics at the National University Hospital (NUH). Participants were recruited based on the study's inclusion and exclusion criteria. Data was collected via an in-depth semi-structured interview, until data saturation was reached. Audio-recordings of the interviews were transcribed into text. Thematic analysis was used to examine the verbatim transcriptions, generating a systematic report with the insights on childbearing women’s perceptions towards elective CS without any medical indications. Results Three themes of childbearing motivations for an elective CS emerged; “Fear of Childbirth”, “Mixed Opinions of Mode of Delivery” and “Varying Sources of Information”. Two themes of barriers encountered were elicited from data analyses’ “Intrinsic Barriers and “Extrinsic Barriers”. Conclusions This study findings provided insights into the perceptions and motivations that influence women’s decision for an elective CS; suggesting that maternal intervention programmes and support should address their underlying fears and motivations in order to empower them for natural childbirth.