Women's experience of childbirth - A five year follow-up of the randomised controlled trial "Ready for Child Trial".

BACKGROUND: Few studies have assessed the long term perspective of women's childbirth experience as well as studying women's individual birth experience over time.

AIM: To compare the long term perspective of the birth experience in nulliparous women attending a structured antenatal programme to that of women allocated to standard care. Moreover, to study changes in the woman's perception of birth and explore the birth characteristics in women reporting a less positive birth experience after five years compared to their reported experience shortly after birth.

METHODS: A five-year follow-up study of a randomised controlled trial; "The Ready for Child" trial. Information used in the current study was collected from 905 nulliparous womens' questionnaires.

RESULTS: More women reported less positive birth experiences in the long term compared to shortly after birth. Women receiving the structured antenatal programme reported a more positive birth experience in the long term compared to women in the original reference group. Birth characteristics of women reporting a less positive birth experience in the long term, irrespective of group allocation, were significantly more likely to experience an epidural, cardiotocography monitoring, and less likely to used water as pain relief and have a spontaneous vaginal birth.

CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS: Women's overall birth experience is important as it has a long term influence on the future health of the woman and her family. Reporting a good birth experience in the long term is more likely when attending a structured antenatal programme and if medical intervention is avoided during birth.