Comparing birth plan preferences among Irish and Nigerian women

The demographics of the obstetric population in Ireland are increasingly changing due to immigration patterns. As the obstetric population becomes more ethnically diverse, the challenge for health professionals is to provide more appropriate, culturally-specific care. This observational study compared birth plan preferences among Irish and Nigerian pregnant women. Included in this study were 113 Nigerian women and 519 Irish women attending the Unified Maternity Services in Cork. A questionnaire was used to assess patients' attitudes toward varying aspects of obstetric care. Differences between the two study populations were seen across all aspects of care. Among other differences, Nigerian women booked at a later gestation compared to their Irish counterparts (33.8 weeks vs. 20.8 weeks respectively, P < 0.001), preferred to have a vaginal delivery (90.7% vs. 64.2%) and an analgesia-free birth (39.6% vs. 5.8%). This study demonstrates a need to recognize the cultural variations in preferences for pregnancy and childbirth in order to provide culturally-specific care.