Abstract
The purpose of this study is to describe the prenatal and postnatal process of women's decision-making regarding their childbirth experiences. The subjects of the study were 419 women outpatients at hospitals, maternity hospitals or birth centers. Questionnaires were used to collect data before and after childbirth.
The factors which influenced the process of decision-making are classified into three groups: medical care which needs professional medical judgement; care which needs professional advice; activities which can be conducted only with appropriate knowledge. Decisions made before and after childbirth are different because of these factors. Variables such as quality of care facilities, interest in childbirth, knowledge, and age are also highly related with the capability of decision-making. Combinations of decisions made before and after childbirth are categorized into four: made a decision by themselves before as well as after childbirth; given chances to make a decision; made a decision with reluctance; no decision by themselves. These combinations were significantly correlated with the three factors of childbirth experiences.
