Midwives’ and mothers’ views of requested C-Section and the care given

• Research type

  Research Study

• Full title

  To explore midwives’ attitudes towards women undergoing elective caesarean section for non-medical reasons, and the potential impact those attitudes have on new mothers’ experiences in the early postnatal period

• IRAS ID

  121130

• Contact name

  FIONA MAXTON

• Contact email

  fiona.maxton@addenbrookes.nhs.uk

• Sponsor organisation

  CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS NHS FOUNDATION TRUST

• Research summary

  The study is aimed at considering midwives’ attitudes regarding women who have requested caesarean section for non-medical reasons and whether they feel it affects the care they give. This topic is of interest due to ever increasing pressures on midwives’ time but also that mothers who have had Caesarean section tend to stay in hospital longer than women who have had normal birth and therefore experience more time with midwives. The study also aims to understand how mothers’ feel about the time spent and the care received on the postnatal ward following their chosen caesarean section and whether this had an impact on their experiences in the early postnatal period.
  This study will follow a qualitative research approach and women who have received care on a postnatal ward at a local maternity hospital will be invited to attend one interview, lasting between 30 and 60 minutes, within the first 6 weeks postnatally. Midwives working on the same postnatal ward will be invited to attend one interview lasting between 30 and 60 minutes. Recruitment and data collection will take place over 8 months. The study will aim to recruit 6 mothers and 6 midwives. Interviews will take place in the mothers’ homes or at a different venue of their choice. Midwives’ interviews will equally be in a setting of the midwives’ choice. Both mothers and midwives will be reassured that the information collected, which will be via digital audio-recorder, will be kept strictly confidential on a password protected computer system at the local NHS Trust. After each interview the information will be transferred on to computer and a non-identifiable code assigned to each participant. Results will be disseminated to mothers’ groups and midwives locally and nationally.

• REC name

  East of England - Cambridge Central Research Ethics Committee

• REC reference

  13/EE/0329

• Date of REC Opinion

  7 Nov 2013

• REC opinion

  Further Information Favourable Opinion