Cesarean delivery on maternal request: the birth companions  perspective

Background Many personal and cultural factors, including the perception of family members and close friends, influence women´s attitudes towards their mode of delivery choice. This study aimed to explore the experiences, perceptions, attitudes, and birth companion’s beliefs of women who underwent a C-section under request (CDMR). Methods This qualitative study used in-depth, semi-structured individual face-to-face interviews, submitted to thematic analysis, under a phenomenological research framework. Participants : Birth companions who were present in the delivery room during the birth or immediately after birth (partner, mother, sister, mother-in-law or friend) were interviewed at a public university hospital in Brazil. Results Men preferred vaginal birth and women had a favorable attitude towards cesarean birth, but everyone considered vaginal birth the ideal mode of delivery. Male partners emphasized that they had limitations in advising women about C-sections, as they had never experienced childbirth, and assumed that their role was limited to supporting the women's decision. On the other hand, the female birth companions invoked memories of a birth experience that was positive for C-section or negative for vaginal delivery to support the woman´s choice. Even if cesarean delivery was perceived as involving greater maternal risks than vaginal birth, birth companions justified these risks by the need to 'guarantee' the woman's right to choose. Conclusions There is a different attitude towards the mode of delivery between men and women accompanying a parturient who opt for CDMR. Respect for women's decision on mode of delivery is a disseminated concept among birth companions in this environment.