Childbirth experiences of Sudanese women living with obstetric fistula – A qualitative study

•This study explored the childbirth circumstances that lead to the formation of obstetric fistula.•All women encountered a delay or more in taking the decision to seek care, reaching a health facility or receiving quality emergency services.•Women ended up leaking urine and the majority of them lost their babies as well. Obstetric Fistula results from failure to manage obstructed labor in a timely manner; the failure can be attributed to many factors. Therefore, the study seeks to provide a better understanding of the circumstances surrounding the occurrence of Obstetric Fistula using the Three-Delays model. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 19 women living with OF. Study participants were recruited from the Dr. Abbu Fistula Center and the Fistula Re-integration Center in Khartoum, Sudan. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the study findings. The Three-Delays Model guided the analysis and discussion of these findings. The majority (11 out of 19) experienced more than one delay and six of the participants had all the three delays. Women were kept at home by midwives or family members for days until the baby was dead or the woman showed severe signs of complications. Many of the participants went through injurious vaginal labor which could have been prevented if they had had timely access to a caesarian section. In order to reduce the delays in seeking care, special attention must be paid to raising women’s, husbands’ and the community’s awareness about danger signs that may arise before and during childbirth, the benefits of skilled birth attendance, and where and when to seek help. In addition, the provision of information regarding where to find Emergency Obstetric Care services and a birth preparedness plan would facilitate prompt care-seeking behavior. More resources must be allocated to strengthen the quality and coverage of reproductive health services.