Beliefs, perceptions, and views of pregnant women about Caesarean section and reproductive decision‑making in a specialist health facility in Enugu, southeast Nigeria

Abstract

Context: Through the process of socialization, women and men are  conditioned to behave and play different roles in society. While the African culture “rewards” women who have vaginal birth despite the cost to their health, the burden of reproductive decision‑making is placed on the menfolk. However, these seem to be changing.

Aims: Our aim was to assess the beliefs and perceptions of pregnant  women about cesarean section (CS), including their views regarding decision‑making on the mode of delivery, in Enugu, Southeast Nigeria.

Settings and Design: A cross‑sectional descriptive study. Subjects and Methods: A structured questionnaire was administered to 200 pregnant women, following an oral informed consent.

Statistical Analysis Used: Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 17 with descriptive statistics of frequencies and percentages.

Results: All the respondents believe that CS is done for the safety of the mother/baby. Thirteen percent reject the procedure for themselves no matter the circumstance. Joint decision‑making was the view of  two‑thirds of the women. Majority of them will accept CS if their  husbands consent. Younger women were of the view that husbands decide on the delivery mode (P = 0.019).

Conclusions: Culture remains an impediment to CS uptake. Most women preferred joint decision‑making on the mode of delivery.

Keywords: Cesarean section, decision‑making, mode of delivery