Calling all UK female MNers with at least one child - complete a survey about childbirth for a chance to win a £100 voucher! NOW CLOSED

[MichelleMumsnet]

Here at MNHQ we're looking to find out more about Mumsnetters' birthing experiences.

If you are a UK female Mumsnetter with at least one child please complete our survey about your experience of giving birth.

Everyone who completes the survey will be entered into a prize draw to win a £100 John Lewis voucher!

If you're interested, please click here to complete the survey.

Thanks

MNHQ

[AnnieLobeseder]

And why so little about post-natal care? That was just as traumatic after my first birth as the birth itself!

[AnnieLobeseder]

In fact, I'm giving up because this survey is obviously very much geared towards a first birth, but you want us to answer about subsequent births. So answering is very frustrating.

[AnnieLobeseder]

I'm puzzled as to why you're asking about our most recent birth. Surely if you're asking questions about packing hospital bags and being prepared for birth, the first birth would be more relevant. By the second one you know what to expect/what to pack?

[zoemaguire]

The problem is that it isn't random. ELCS is surely far more common in subsequent births than in first ones. And as for prior planning, you're talking about entirely different issues with first and subsequent births. Besides which, of course, you are getting self-selected responses, so all idea of 'random' needs to go out of the window anyway! Given a choice, I'd guess most women would have wanted to tell you about their most significant labour/birth story, which would have given you a more interesting spread of experiences. I stuck to the instructions, even though I'd have far rather answered about my traumatic birth no.1 rather than entirely straightforward no.3!

Other than that, I found the 'how satisfied were you with your care' impossible to answer properly, because what I wanted to say was 'fantastically satisfied during labour/ELCS' and 'the postnatal ward was a hideous nightmare that I never wish to revisit ever again'. No options for that!

[GreenShadow]

Agree with others; badly worded survey if you are talking about a second or subsequent birth.

[AnnMumsnet]

thanks for all the feedback folks - we do want to know about most recent birth, as across all respondents this gives us a random selection of birth experiences and planning etc
We will look at the data by folks who answered for first time and for subsequent births and will see what differences there are
Appreciate the points raised re planned c-sections - we should have had some more NA type responses in there for those - apologies. You can leave any questions blank - no obligation to answer any question (except for age) - and again we will look at type of birth answered about in the analysis.
again - it will be closing soon as we have had a great response on this one.

[bshree08]

done

[Panzee]

It's not the best survey, sorry.

[JulesJules]

I also felt it was difficult to answer giving an accurate picture. I answered for my most recent birth as the survey asked which was a planned CS - so the only option I could put for all the birth plan/labour/pain relief questions was the last "Don't know/can't remember". there should have been a N/A option.

Also, a planned CS is not necessarily the same thing as a requested CS. "Requested" makes it sound as if that's just what you felt like doing, rather than it being a medical decision.

The survey asked for the most recent birth but were really aimed at the first birth - e.g. where did you get your information from, ante natal groups, magazines etc - this is what you do the first time round, not for subsequent births.

I don't think my answers gave a true picture at all. Apart from "Flipflops are essential for the shower" which is my number 1 essential for hospital bags. (And I have NO IDEA how many things were in my bag 7-9? 10-12? 100? Does everything in your washbag count as one thing?)

[Chimchar]

Did mine, as instructed, on my last birth. Each birth would have been 'scored' very differently, due to the personnel on shift at each time.
Not a totally accurate picture will come out overall I'm sure.

I feel very strongly that my own birth experiences have got better each time, purely due to getting used to and recognising the stages myself and not relying on someone else to tell me what's going on..and also becoming more confident in my body and my choices.

[Poofus]

Question 11 has a totally random, unrelated answer! I did tick this though as there wasn't an option for "not applicable".

[LeMousquetaireAnonyme]

I try to do it thinking of my second birth but most of the questions are completely irrelevant to one. Plus I was abroad and I had a ELCS.

In the end I answered thinking of my 1st which was in the UK and I actually went in labour. Years before I found MN though, I might have been better prepared if I had have the honest talking from here.

[VashtaNerada]

Done but probably needed more free text boxes. For example, the question about TV births being unrealistic will include those who think birth is easier than shown on TV and those who think it's harder.

[ChineseFireball]

Done some odd answer options for some questions. Mine was first labour so didn't matter to me that the questions were really tailored to a first time.

[gamescompendium]

Some of the questions were irrelevant considering this was my third birth.

Also although I had a vaginal birth this was a heavily monitored induction (premmie baby) which wasn't really covered. There's a big gap of intervention between a natural vaginal birth and a birth with forceps.

[Munchmallow]

Done. I also gave birth in ye olden days but unsurprisingly the memories are still quite vivid.

[bellacullen18981]

Done x

[Meglet]

My second birth was a planned c-section, so no labour with that one. I gave up answering the questions after a while because I assumed it wouldn't accept blank answers .

[LegoClone]

I did the survey on my phone and when I clicked the submit button it seemed to do something, but didn't then give me the usual page that comes up after I've completed a MN survey. I hit the submit button again and the same thing happened so I've either "done" the survey twice or it hasn't submitted my response at all. Who knows?!?

[0dd]

Agree with others - seriously badly written survey.

I had planned c-sections, but planned not chosen by me. And no labour so all those questions were unanswerable. Answered what I could. Can't imagine the results are going to be very clear.

[stripes1]

Completed but I think you need another option for q16, they are all negative. This was my second birth and it was such a good experience that for a while it made me consider having another. (Until the sleepless nights kicked in but that's another story...)

[Littleturkish]

Done!

[BrokenBananaTantrum]

Done.

[Nerf]

Yes badly designed. Planned section but all the questions seemed to assume 'real' labour etc with no n/a answer available. So length of labour I put don't know , whereas it should be n/a

[Dangermouse1]

Think you should have put a bit more focus on experience and care immediately after the birth, I find the assumption that you prepare for the birth and that then everything just 'falls into place' afterwards one of the most frustrating things about any discussion of childbirth.