Why do pregnant women with fear of birth prefer vaginal birth? A qualitative study in China

BACKGROUND: Fear of birth (FOB) is becoming increasingly recognized as a mental health issue that may endanger maternal and infant health and affects women’s subsequent fertility desires. It has also been shown to be related to the choice of delivery mode. Given the differences in healthcare systems and policies between countries, and the gaps in the exploration of women’s experience of fear of birth and its association with the delivery mode in the Chinese cultural context, this study thus attempt to understand Chinese women’s experience with fear of birth and their preferences for delivery mode through a qualitative study. METHODS: A descriptive qualitative research was performed among twenty pregnant women from the obstetric outpatient of a tertiary hospital in China. Colaizzi’s method was used to analyze the participants’ data. RESULTS: We proposed three themes and nine subthemes on the participants’ experience with fear of birth: (1) an invisible dilemma: trapped in lingering fear (fear of all sides, the untold loneliness, and ambivalence with mixed feelings); (2) an unexpected decision: choose to give birth naturally (initiative selection and passive acceptance); and (3) A strength to confront challenges head-on: move forward with fear (awaken of maternal spirit, hope in bloom, Chinese tolerance culture, and obstetric analgesia). CONCLUSION: Fear of birth is a complex emotion, accompanied by feelings of loneliness and ambivalence in addition to fear. We found that women with fear of birth in this study prefer vaginal birth, and it was revealed to be the result of a combined action of intrinsic and extrinsic factors.