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Thank you for this Sue. I am in the process of conducting a qualitative study into why women choose an elective caesarean section and midwives perspectives on the issue. I will send my findings to you once completed if you wish. Best Wishes Mandy Williams -----Original Message----- From: A forum for discussion on midwifery and reproductive health research. [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of Matt Fenwick Sent: 16 November 2004 14:54 To: [log in to unmask] Subject: CS and social pathology I am currently in the final stages of a qualitative study using Grounded Theory on women's experience of caesarean section. You may be interested in some of the key themes to emerge from analysis of the data. I interviewed first time mothers who had experienced an emergency caesarean. I also interviewed second time mothers who had either a trial of labour or an elective CS. Most of women said that they 'expected the normal' and emergency CS left them with feelings of disappointment, sometimes anger and feelings of failure. Women felt they had missed out on normal birth. Women in this study associated 'normal birth' as 'part of being a woman' ; a 'normal process' and one that they expected. Birth is seen as a 'rite of passage' I have used inverted commas to indicate codes identified in the data. 'Feelings of failure' were linked to a sense of the 'failing body' and 'failing as a mother' because they had found caring for a newborn baby difficult after CS. Another theme to emerge from the data was that of 'being in control'. First time mothers who experienced an emergency CS described how they had lost control over the birth process. Second time mothers describe how their experience of previous CS impacts upon their decision making in a subsequent pregnancy. Regaining control is an important theme in this study because women who chose a trial of labour saw this as a way of regaining control. However, women who opted for an elective CS also saw this as regaining control. Women who chose to have a CS did so because they would 'be prepared', it meant 'minimizing uncertainty' and 'avoiding an emergency'. Women feared going through labour only to end up with another CS. Other themes in this study reflect the 'reality of caesarean' and the impact it has on women's lives. Women describe their interaction with care givers and others in their kinship network. For example, Women feel their is a lack of support for women who experience CS from professionals. Women are critical of the care they receive on the postnatal ward. They feel that midwives forget they have experienced major abdominal surgery. Some women feel they need for care and attention but many are too frightened to ask, or don't want to take up the midwives time. Women have unanswered questions about the decision to do the CS. Women also feel they are 'different' from women who have a normal delivery. This can lead to a sense of isolation and exclusion from 'normal mothers'. It must be said that all women have a negative view of CS and the care they received and this is documented in the thesis. In this study women tell their stories of CS. This provides an insight into the lived experience of CS and implications for transition to motherhood. Sue Fenwick