Who wants a caesarean section? A study of women's personal experience of vaginal and caesarean delivery

The Changing Childbirth report, 1999, explicitly endorsed the right of women to be involved in childbirth decisions and to have a choice in childbirth and it has been suggested that maternal requests for a caesarean birth has been a significant factor in the recently observed increases in caesarean section rates. There have been reports of both obstetrician's views and midwives' views regarding the mode of delivery. However, there is a lack of literature reporting the views of women who have experienced personally both a caesarean section and a vaginal delivery. Fifty women in Milton Keynes who had had at least one vaginal delivery and at least one caesarean section were asked for their opinion.