Abstract
Author(s): Grazyna Baczek, Ewelina Adamczyk-Brozyna, Wojciech Giermaziak
Introduction. Pregnancy is a condition desired by women but at the same time it often causes concern and anxiety. The concern is most often related to labour. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the knowledge that women of childbearing age have on issues related to vaginal delivery and Caesarean section, as well as to identify their attitudes and preferences concerning delivery. Materials and methods. The study was carried out as a diagnostic survey. The study material was developed based on questionnaires obtained from childless women of childbearing age. A total of 321 questionnaires was collected, of which 313 were analysed. Results. The greatest concerns in the sample of women were related to vaginal delivery, including: pain (82%), long labour (74%) and damage to the perineal tissues (65%). Every third respondent was certain that analgesia/anaesthesia during labour would be indispensable for her. Over half of the respondents did not know that Caesarean section is not performed at the patient’s request. A comparable number of women imagined their vaginal delivery in a recumbent position or through Caesarean section (recumbent position 20% vs Caesarean section 21%) Conclusions. This study has revealed that respondents had high awareness of labour physiology but that their knowledge of the impact of labour medicalisation on women and newborns was insufficient.Vaginal delivery, including vertical positions, was the preferred delivery route among the women participating in the study but a comparable group of respondents was interested in Caesarean section and vaginal delivery in a recumbent position.