Are women given enough information by staff during labour and delivery?

A random sample of women who had recently given birth were asked about their experiences in a national postal survey in England and Wales. 76% of the women responded. This paper describes their views on the information given to them by staff during labour and delivery. Findings indicate that although the majority of women were satisfied with the amount of information given, just under a fifth would have liked more explanation from staff during childbirth. Some groups of women were less satisfied than others: first time mothers and multiparae under 30 years old; women not living with a partner and those belonging to ethnic minority groups. Women who experienced an emergency caesarean section, an enema or some forms of pain relief were more likely to be dissatisfied with the quality of information given than others, but most procedures were unrelated to the women's feelings about the amount of explanation given by staff. Women who felt staff had given them enough information during labour and delivery were more likely to say that labour and delivery were managed as they liked than those who wanted more explanation.