Impact of delivery mode on childbirth satisfaction, birth memory, and pregnancy avoidance

Women's perceptions of childbirth can be influenced by individual differences, previous birth experiences, and the social-medical context. However, there is limited research on how the mode of delivery affects childbirth satisfaction, pregnancy avoidance, and birth memory. This study aims to investigate the impact of vaginal and cesarean deliveries on these factors.

This descriptive, comparative and cross-sectional study was conducted with 486 postpartum women (243 vaginal and 243 cesarean deliveries) in a maternity ward. The Personal Information Form and the Birth Satisfaction Scale (BSS-R) were used in the first interview at 12 h postpartum. In the second interview on postpartum day 7, the Desire to Avoid Pregnancy Scale (DAPS) and the Birth Memory and Recall Scale (BMRS) were used. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistical methods, Independent Sample T-test, Chi-Square, One-Way ANOVA, Two-Way ANOVA, and regression analysis.

There is a significant difference between the groups in terms of the total BSS-R score. In addition, there are significant intergroup differences in the sub-dimensions of memory centrality and consistency from the BMRS sub-dimensions (p < 0.05).

It was observed that women who gave birth by cesarean section generally reported higher satisfaction scores, but they showed a higher tendency to avoid pregnancy. In contrast, birth memory and recall characteristics were more pronounced in women who gave birth vaginally. However, there was no significant difference between the groups in terms of the total score of the BMRS. Differences were limited to some sub-dimensions only.