Table 1.

Maternal characteristics and birth details

Background characteristics
Maternal age (years) at time of completing initial questionnaire	20–24	5/61 (8%)
	25–29	6/61 (10%)
	30–34	15/61 (25%)
	35–39	23/61 (38%)
	40–over	12/61 (20%)
Mother’s marital status	Living together	17/61 (28%)
	Married or in a civil partnership	40/61 (66%)
	Single	3/61 (5%)
	Widowed, divorced or separated	1/61 (2%)
Mother’s ethnic group	Other	2/61 (3%)
	White British	53/61 (87%)
	White Irish	3/61 (5%)
	White other	3/61 (5%)
Birth history
First baby		19/61 (31%)
Prenatal diagnosis of DS		15/61 (25%)
Twin birth		2/61 (3%)
Type of delivery	Normal vaginal delivery	38/60 (63%)
	C-section	17/60 (28%)
	Forceps	2/60 (3%)
	Ventouse	3/60 (5%)
Gestation (weeks)	Median 38 (IQR 37–39)
Preterm 32–37 weeks		13/61 (21%)
Birth weight (kg)	Mean 3.0 (0.5 SD)
Location of birth	At home	3/59 (5%)
	In hospital (consultant led)	29/59 (50%)
	In hospital (midwife led)	25/59 (42%)
	Birth centre (midwife led)	2/59 (3%)
Length of initial hospital stay (hours)	Median 120 (IQR 72–216)

C-section, caesarean section; DS, Down syndrome.