Advanced Research Journal of Medical Sciences Vol. 2 (2), pp. 074-079, February, 2015.© Advanced Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Vaginal birthing or recurrent caesarean section: Women preferred mode of delivery after a primary caesarean section in Maiduguri, Northern Nigeria

¹Yunusari Ahmed and ²Abubakar Yaradua*

^1,2Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Maiduguri, Maiduguri,Nigeria.

E-mail: [email protected]

Accepted 01 January, 2015

Abstract 

Vaginal birth after caesarean section (VBAC) is an acceptable option for delivery in a woman with one prior lower segment caesarean section (CS) and in the absence of an obvious contraindication to vaginal delivery. This was a cross sectional study that sought to explore the preferred mode of delivery (VBAC or CS) in a cohort of post operative patients that had a primary CS and the reason for such preference using a self administered, structured and pretested questionnaire. The study was conducted between 1st January, 2013 and 30th November, 2013 and consenting women were recruited consecutively. Two hundred and forty five consenting women completed the questionnaires. Majority of the women, 73.5% (180) prefer VBAC in their next pregnancy while 26.5% (65) prefer a repeat CS. The commonest reasons for preference for VBAC were faster recovery, 68.8% (124) and being a natural method of child birth 25.6% (46). The most common reasons for preferring CS were to avoid labour pains, avoid the stress of labour and safety of the baby in 49.5% (32), 24.6% (16) and 15.4% (10), respectively. Maternal age ≥35 years and having attained tertiary level of education maintained statistically significant relationship with preference for CS after controlling for confounding variable. Only 6.1% (15) of the women reported that they will not accept CS under any circumstance and 31% (76) will accept it reluctantly. We advocate the need for counselling of antenatal women as well as public education campaigns so that women can make informed choices.

Key Words: Vaginal birth after caesarean section (VBAC), caesarean section (CS), anaesthesia, aversion, labour.