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Objective: To investigate contact between mothers and their newborn child and study if there are differences between those who requested an elective caesarean section compared to women who had a vaginal birth and those who underwent an elective caesarean section due to obstetrical indication. The psychometric properties of a scale that measure the contact between mother and child were also investigated. Design: A prospective cohort study. Setting: Danderyd Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden. Sample: 510 primiparas from three groups: women undergoing caesarean section on maternal request (n = 96), women undergoing caesarean section on obstetrical indication (n = 116) and women planning a vaginal delivery (n = 198). The later were further divided into subgroups; women who underwent assisted vaginal delivery (n = 35) and women who had an emergency caesarean section (n = 65). Methods: The instrument used was the Alliance Scale. Main outcome measure: The contact between mother and child in relation to mode of delivery. Results: The contact with the child was rated as positive on all occasions: there were no significant differences between the groups. The relation to the partner was rated as positive at all occasions. Mothers with a vaginal delivery experienced breastfeeding less stressful than the mothers with a caesarean delivery. Three and nine months after delivery the mothers with a caesarean delivery on request reported more breastfeeding problems than mothers in the other groups. Mothers with a vaginal delivery rated less sadness at every occasion. Conclusion: Mode of delivery does not seem to affect how mothers experience their contact towards the newborn child. © 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.