A qualitative study of women's feelings about future childbirth: dread and delight.

INTRODUCTION: There is extensive knowledge about expectations of and thoughts about childbirth among women who have not given birth. When it comes to women who have given birth to at least 1 child, on the other hand, knowledge about their expectations for a future birth is limited. The purpose of this study is thus to describe the emotions of this group concerning future childbirth.
METHODS: Participants were 908 women in Sweden who had given birth to at least 1 child. This study is based on responses to the following request in the questionnaire sent out to women 4 to 7 years after they had given birth vaginally: "Please describe your feelings when you think about giving birth in the future."
RESULTS: One-third of the women responded that they were mostly frightened of future childbirth, while the remaining two-thirds had mostly positive feelings. The qualitative analysis resulted in 3 categories and 8 subcategories and an overall theme: a mixture of dread and delight. Even with negative feelings/fears about future childbirth, many women want to give birth to more children. DISCUSSION: Despite experiences of severe pain or complications during a previous birth, many women nonetheless looked forward to future childbirth, primarily since they were motivated by having another child and encouraged by having been given good support by the midwife.