Mothers' views about information and advice in pregnancy and childbirth: Findings from a national study

It was the women who were socially disadvantaged in some way who seemed to experience most difficulty in finding out what they wanted to know during pregnancy and during labour.

Abstract

A random sample of women who had recently given birth were asked about the main sources of information and advice throughout their pregnancy, labour and delivery, and how helpful such information had been. While, on the whole, women were satisfied with the information they were given at the various stages, around a fifth would have liked more information during pregnancy, felt unable to discuss things fully with the doctors and midwives looking after them, and would have liked more explanation during labour. It was the women who were socially disadvantaged in some way who seemed to experience most difficulty in finding out what they wanted to know.