Appendix Scales derived by principal components analysis (PCA) of WOMBLSQ4. Scales are intuitively named followed by their component questions. Scale means, standard deviations, percentage of variance explained by scale and Cronbach alpha coefficients are given. The final scale about general satisfaction was omitted from PCA with varimax rotation and Kaiser normalisation. Question numbers represent their order on the final questionnaire; negatively worded questions are shown with a minus sign.

ScaleName (Cronbach's alpha, mean scale score, sd, % variance explained)Coefficient
    1Professional support (alpha = 0.91, mean scale score = 72.3, SD = 20.1, % variance = 27.0)
Q7All my labour carers were very supportive0.830
Q13Carers always listened very, very carefully to everything that I had to say0.734
Q19During labour there was always a carer to explain things so that I could understand0.696
Q27All my carers treated me in the most friendly and courteous manner possible0.838
Q32My carers couldn't have been more helpful0.797
2Expectations (alpha = 0.90, mean scale score = 59.0, SD = 27.7, % variance = 7.9)
Q1My labour went totally normally0.842
Q11The labour went nearly exactly as I had hoped that it would0.868
Q17The delivery went almost completely as I had hoped that it would0.866
Q22My labour was just about the right length0.749
3Home assessment (alpha = 0.90, mean scale score = 54.3, SD = 23.5, % variance = 7.7)
Q8I should have had a home assessment in early labour (−)0.838
Q15When I thought that my labour had started, I would have liked a carer to come and see me at home to confirm that I had (−)0.918
Q28Early home assessment of me in labour would have been very helpful (−)0.922
4Holding baby (alpha = 0.87, mean scale score = 74.2, SD = 20.5, % variance = 7.3)
Q3I got to see my baby at exactly the right time after she/he was born0.811
Q10After my baby was born, I was not given him/her quite as soon as I wanted (−)0.872
Q18I needed to hold my baby a little earlier than I did (−)0.864
5Support from husband (alpha = 0.83, mean scale score = 72.7, SD = 21.2, % variance = 5.8)
Q2My birth partner/husband helped me to understand what was going on when I was in labour0.778
Q23My birth partner/husband couldn't have supported me any better0.891
Q29I could have had a bit more help from my birth partner/husband (−)0.889
6Pain in labour (alpha = 0.83, mean scale score = 64.0, SD = 21.8, % variance = 5.5)
Q9I should have been offered something more to relieve my labour pains (−)0.762
Q20I got excellent pain relief in labour0.753
Q26More pain relief would have made my labour easier (−)0.826
7Pain after delivery (alpha = 0.65, mean scale score = 57.6, SD = 21.0, % variance = 4.8)
Q6I should have been offered something more to relieve the pains I had after my baby was born (−)0.632
Q16I was in a fair bit of pain immediately after the birth (−)0.791
Q31I didn't need a lot of pain relief after the birth0.779
8Continuity (alpha = 0.82, mean scale score = 38.8, SD = 28.2, % variance = 4.4)
Q5At the start of my labour I knew my carers very well0.892
Q24I knew the carer(s) present at the birth of my baby0.885
9Environment (alpha = 0.80, mean scale score = 61.6, SD = 23.7, % variance = 3.7)
Q4My birth room was a little impersonal and clinical (−)0.888
Q14The area where I gave birth was very pleasant and relaxing0.748
10Control (alpha = 0.62, mean scale score = 53.0, SD = 22.2, % variance = 3.3)
Q21Everyone seemed to tell me what to do in labour (−)0.819
Q30Labour was just a matter of doing what I was told by my carers (−)0.842
General satisfaction (alpha = 0.75, mean scale score = 53.1, SD = 12.5)
Q12The way my labour care was provided could not have been improvedN/A
Q25I am satisfied with just one or two things about the labour care that I received (−)N/A