Characteristics of the six women interviewed
| Characteristics | Sue 1 | Nicola |2 | Diane 3 | Fiona 4 | Jenny 5 | Cathy 6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age | 38 | 23 | 20 | 29 | 27 | 28 |
| Ethnicity | White | White | White | White | White | White |
| Relationship status | Married | Cohabiting | Cohabiting | Married | Cohabiting | Cohabiting |
| Employment | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 1st vaginal delivery | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Previous perineal trauma | Yes | NA | NA | Yes | NA | NA |
| Previous dehisced perineal wound | Yes | NA | NA | No | NA | NA |
| Mode of delivery | Normal | Normal | Forceps* | Normal | Forceps* | Ventouse* |
| RCT allocation R=resutured E=expectancy | R | E | R | E | R | E |
| Months postnatal | 8 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 9 | 8 |
| Length of interview (minutes) | 29 | 18 | 23 | 18 | 26 | 40 |
*Forceps and Ventouse delivery are classified as operative vaginal deliveries.
All wounds dehisced within the first postnatal week.
NA, not applicable; RCT, randomised controlled trial.