The Preferences of Modes of Child Delivery and Associated Factors Among Pregnant Women in Southern Ethiopia

BACKGROUND: The purpose of the study was to identify the choice of mode of delivery and the factors associated with such preferences among pregnant women attending antenatal care services in Southern Ethiopia. METHODS: Using an institutional-based cross-sectional survey, quantitative data were collected from randomly selected pregnant women in Southern Ethiopia. A semi-structured questionnaire was distributed to pregnant women who had been attending antenatal healthcare services in purposively selected public and private healthcare facilities in Shashemene town. The completed cases were inserted into SPSS version 26 in which both descriptive and inferential statistical techniques were used to analyze the data. RESULTS: It was found that 75.4% of respondents replied that they prefer vaginal delivery while 24.6% had chosen cesarean section. Personal conviction motivated by the need to experience the labor process, the belief in it being a natural method, the perception that it is better for the wellbeing of both the mother and the child, previous experience of delivery by vaginal method, fear or the need to avoid episiotomy, and economic concerns have been mentioned as reasons for the choice of vaginal delivery. Moreover, respondents’ choice of the mode of delivery is significantly associated with religion, age, number of children, pregnancy experience, previous mode of delivery, self-rated social class status, autonomy to decide about mode of delivery, and type of healthcare organization of antenatal care attendance. CONCLUSION: Although vaginal delivery has remained the most preferred mode of delivery among most pregnant women, about a quarter of pregnant women have reported that they prefer to deliver by cesarean section, a prevalence rate which is higher than the national average, indicating that the choice of cesarean section is still increasing among women.