Spontaneous vaginal delivery or caesarean section? What do T urkish women think?

The aim of this study was to describe women's feelings, attitudes and beliefs about different modes of childbirth. A descriptive cross‐sectional study was conducted at the obstetrics clinics of E ge U niversity and D r E krem H ayri U stundag O bstetrics and G ynaecology H ospital in I zmir, T urkey. Three‐hundred forty‐two women who had given birth via spontaneous vaginal delivery ( SVD ) or caesarean section ( C / S ) between J une and D ecember 2009 voluntarily agreed to participate. Fifty‐seven per cent of participants were aged 20–24. Sixty per cent of the women ( n  = 205) had undergone C / S during their last delivery; among these women, the birth method of 90% ( n  = 185) was decided by their doctors, whereas the remaining 10% ( n  = 20) made the decision themselves or with their partners. Sixty‐three per cent ( n  = 250) of women who underwent C / S said that if they gave birth again, they would prefer to deliver via SVD . Eighty‐eight per cent ( n  = 300) of women wanted the legal right to choose their birth method. Although the rate of C / S was high, most women stated that if given the choice, they would prefer a SVD if they had another child.