Table 2.

illustrative quotes for themes 1 and 2

Theme 1
“You know [public facility] is where you see many doctors; you see consultants, and they work in groups” (P2, public tertiary facility).
“Once they have checked that the woman cannot push, they will not waste time they will operate on the woman immediately. The mother and baby will be alive” (P5, public secondary facility).
“You can lose your life if it takes time for the doctors to come. In the hospital I used, they had the equipment and the doctors were always around” (P14, private secondary facility).
“I came to [public facility] a few times for antenatal. The way they attended to me was shocking. The nurses were too harsh. Also, the number of hours I waited for my turn was unbelievable. I knew I couldn´t continue there. I went to a private facility” (P11, private secondary facility).
“Unlike [public facility], the Nurses in private hospitals socialise with all patients, whether you are an acquaintance or not. They give equal care to all patients” (P11, Private secondary facility).
“In [public facility], if you don´t know anybody during antenatal, things are slow for you. You can spend the whole day there on antenatal. So, I chose private that also has specialist” (P12, private secondary facility).
“But I know that some people complain that when they come, if they are crying, they [health workers] will not be that caring, but I know that is [public facility], it is straight to business. You are on your own” (P3, public tertiary facility).
“Even from the period of pregnancy, the family is very important. They will support you at home and your husband too will also pay the bill” [P16, public primary facility).
Theme 2
“There is no ideal place, but it is best to deliver in a hospital. Every delivery depends on God...I thought I would have delivered in the church because I was there for one month” (P9, public primary facility).
“Once my husband is in-between, and he says please I don´t want this place, straight to FMC that´s where I want you to stay and deliver” (P3, public tertiary facility).
“I think it is more about the women trying to give themselves an edge...the social status. Everyone wants to feel big here, nobody wants to look poor by going to deliver in maternity [Traditional Birth Attendants]. They also care about the safety of their lives too” (P21, Private secondary facility).
“In some cases, mothers in other hospitals which do not have the necessary facilities, are transferred to this place [public facility]. That´s why I chose here since it serves as a last resort” (P3, public tertiary facility).
“Like now I live around here, and the [primary] health centre is here. For me it makes no sense going to a hospital that is far from here, and on reaching there, you are asked to purchase a card and wait for your turn. The Nurses here are very good too” (P8, public primary facility).