http://www.orgyn. com/en/news/ 2008/Week_ 06/Day_3/ Childbirth_ fear_high. asp

Childbirth fear high among women opting for cesareansSource: British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology 2008; 115: 324-31
Investigating whether childbirth expectations differ among first-time mothers requesting a cesarean, those undergoing elective cesarean, and those planning a vaginal delivery.
MedWire News: First time-mothers who opt for a cesarean section are more likely than those planning a vaginal birth to suffer from childbirth anxiety, Swedish study findings suggest.
Ingela Wiklund (Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden) and team assessed the birth experiences of 496 first-time mothers recruited between 37 and 39 weeks' gestation. These women were then followed-up at 3 months postpartum. In all, 104 expectant mothers requested cesareans, 128 had cesarean sections for breech presentations, and 264 planned a vaginal birth.
Mothers requesting cesareans were significantly more likely to have clinically significant fear of childbirth, defined as a score of 85.8 or above on the Wijma Delivery Expectancy/Experien ce Questionnaire, than pregnant women who planned to have vaginal deliveries, and those who underwent cesareans for breech presentations, at 43.4, 13.2, and 6.0 percent, respectively.
Mothers in the requested cesarean group also felt less happy before the delivery, and were more afraid of giving birth and losing their child than mothers in the other two groups. Those who had a cesarean section due to breech presentation, however, were more afraid of behaving badly during the delivery than the other women.
Pregnant women who planned to have a vaginal delivery were less afraid of childbirth than the other women. However, those who suffered from complications as a result of vaginal delivery felt unhappy during delivery, and feared their child would be injured. But these fears were not considered clinically significant.
The investigators conclude: "Women requesting an elective cesarean section appear to often suffer from clinically significant fear of childbirth."
Posted: 06 February 2008
(c) 2008 Current Medicine Group Ltd, a part of Springer Science+Business Media