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Pregnant women's attitudes towards their fetus over the course of the pregnancy were studied in relation to physiological events of pregnancy, namely seeing the fetus via ultrasound and experiencing fetal movement. A consecutive series of primiparae (n = 129) was randomly assigned, at recruitment between 10 and 14 weeks menstrual age, to conditions of high (n = 67) or low (n = 62) feedback real time ultrasound. Thereafter, women were assessed at 16 and 32 weeks gestation, within 24 hours of delivery and by questionnaire at 3 months postpartum. On each occasion women completed attitude rating scales concerning their pregnancy and their fetus or neonate. These scales were subjected to principal components analysis and two main dimensions were derived for ratings of both attitudes towards the pregnancy and the fetus/neonate. No relationship was found between factor scores and ultrasound feedback condition, although scores on the fetal attachment dimension showed a significant linear increase over the pregnancy. Women reporting fetal movement at 16 weeks displayed significantly higher scores on the fetal-attachment dimension at all three assessment points. Multiple regression analyses were utilized to identify predictors of initial reactions to the neonate and attachment ratings at 3 months postpartum. At delivery, ratings of attachment to the neonate were related to drug requirements in labor and attachment ratings at 32 weeks. Reactions to the neonate at delivery and ratings of postpartum mood emerged as significant predictors of maternal attachment at 3 months postpartum. These results are discussed in the context of research attempting to establish the importance of postpartum bonding.

Episiotomy is one of the most commonly performed operative procedures and yet little information is available on the subjective reactions in the puerperium to this procedure. The present study was designed to furnish information on the attitudes of patients, levels of pain, and of course recovery by studying a consecutive series of 101 Caucasian primiparea who received episiotomies at delivery. Women were interviewed within 24 hours of delivery and then, at three months after delivery, completed a questionnaire. The high level of pain experienced was noteworthy. Labour pain and episiotomy pain were uncorrelated, indicating the importance of distinguishing between them. Several women were experiencing problems at the three-month follow-up, with some attributing these to the episiotomy repair. The data are presented in the framework of providing women in the postpartum period with systematic information on the nature of postepisiotomy pain and subsequent recovery to facilitate their adjustment.

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Episiotomy is one of the most commonly performed operative procedures and yet little information is available on the subjective reactions in the puerperium to this procedure. The present study was designed to furnish information on the attitudes of patients, levels of pain, and of course recovery by studying a consecutive series of 101 Caucasian primiparea who received episiotomies at delivery. Women were interviewed within 24 hours of delivery and then, at three months after delivery, completed a questionnaire. The high level of pain experienced was noteworthy. Labour pain and episiotomy pain were uncorrelated, indicating the importance of distinguishing between them. Several women were experiencing problems at the three-month follow-up, with some attributing these to the episiotomy repair. The data are presented in the framework of providing women in the postpartum period with systematic information on the nature of postepisiotomy pain and subsequent recovery to facilitate their adjustment. Introduction Considerable research has been done on maternal attitudes' and behaviour2 towards the neonate, as well as maternal mood changes,3 during the postpartum period. Less attention has been given to the subject of pain and discomfort resulting from