Body experience and the mother–child relationship in pregnancy: a cross-sectional study of pregnant Portuguese women

Meireles, Ana; Costa, Maria Emília

doi:10.1080/02646838.2019.1626009

Cited by 2 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 45 publications

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“…During pregnancy, women not only experience changes at the physical level, but also undergo a process of psychological structuring and adjustment, through which thoughts and perceptions of womanhood and motherhood come to the forefront; many women imagine future life with their child, with whom an emotional connection is established, and who is given form in the mother's imagination (Meireles & Costa, 2019). At present, many women initiate motherhood at or around the age of 40, and among the dangers of this late motherhood is the increased likelihood of infertility or of conceiving a child with birth defects, as the quality of the mother's eggs deteriorates (Zapata-Masias, Marqueta, Gomez Roig, & Gonzalez-Bosquet, 2016).…”

Section: Backg Rou N Dmentioning

confidence: 99%

Experiences and outcomes following diagnosis of congenital foetal anomaly and medical termination of pregnancy: A phenomenological study

Atienza-Carrasco

Abad

Padilla‐Ruiz

et al. 2020

Journal of Clinical Nursing

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Aim To determine and describe the experiences of pregnant women who receive a diagnosis of chromosomopathy and/or foetal malformation during a prenatal check‐up and who decide to legally terminate the pregnancy. Background When a pregnancy is terminated, the woman must cope with frustrated motherhood. The psychological consequences of this will largely depend on the care and support provided by health professionals. When a congenital anomaly is diagnosed, a patient‐centred communication helps understanding, influences adaptation to the new situation and ensures the person concerned has sufficient (autonomy or independence or ability) to make appropriate decisions. Methods A qualitative study, based on a phenomenological approach, was carried out through nonparticipant observation and semi‐structured interviews with 27 obstetric patients. NVivo 11 software was used, and content analysis was performed. The manuscript was developed using the COREQ guidelines to inform qualitative studies. Results The clinical relationship may be affected by communication problems such as patients' perceptions of scarce emotional involvement by obstetricians, by poor psychosocial support during the termination of the pregnancy and by insufficient follow‐up after discharge. Conclusion Nurses are in a privileged position to promote the empowerment of affected women. It is necessary to improve aspects related to the privacy of patients and the awareness and training of the interdisciplinary team in interpersonal communication. Post‐loss follow‐up is recommended to assess individual needs, thus facilitating an optimal approach to ease the grieving process. Relevance to clinical practice During the prenatal diagnosis, the existence of a fetal anomaly is emphasized, but support and follow up of the mother may be neglected; therefore, exhaustive knowledge about the obstetric history, the state of health and the expectations of patients is as important as a multidisciplinary team trained in counseling strategies and with a comprehensive care plan that covers all areas, especially those that control maternal emotions.

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Section: Backg Rou N Dmentioning

confidence: 99%

Experiences and outcomes following diagnosis of congenital foetal anomaly and medical termination of pregnancy: A phenomenological study

Atienza-Carrasco

Abad

Padilla‐Ruiz

et al. 2020

Journal of Clinical Nursing

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“…A positive bodily experience of being pregnant is also an important factor in terms of being attached to the unborn baby [ 14 ] and women may cope positively with body changes during pregnancy owing to events unique to pregnancy, such as increased perceived body functionality, positive social commentary and perceptual experiences such as feeling the baby kick [ 15 ]. However, there is lack of evidence on how the abdominal examination is experienced by the pregnant women and how the manual palpation and auscultation by the midwives affect the mother’s experience of the fetus.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Abdominal examination during pregnancy may enhance relationships between midwife, mother and child: a qualitative study of pregnant women’s experiences

Bonnén

Offersen

Høstrup

et al. 2023

BMC Pregnancy Childbirth

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Background Abdominal examination is a routine procedure performed by midwives several times during pregnancy to monitor the growth and well-being of the baby. Literature and instructions regarding abdominal examination focus on the technical performance, with limited attention paid to the women’s experience of the examination or the bonding-related aspects between the mother and baby. The aim of the study was to explore how pregnant women experience the abdominal examination and how the examination affects maternal–fetal attachment. Methods Participant observation and semi-structured interviews with 10 pregnant women. We used thematic analysis to identify themes across the empirical material. Results We identified the following four central themes: an essential examination, the baby becomes real, the importance of being involved and different senses provide different experiences. These themes describe how the women regarded the abdominal examination as an essential part of the midwifery consultation and considered it the occasion when the baby became real and tangible. Being prepared and involved before and during the examination were pivotal for how the examination was experienced by the women. The abdominal examination was crucial to the pregnant women because it provided them with important sensory aspects that were not obtained from ultrasound examination. Conclusion The abdominal examination is regarded as essential in midwifery consultations and has the potential for supporting a woman’s bodily sensation of her baby, which is reinforced by the midwife’s manual palpation. Touch can be a way for a pregnant woman to become acquainted with her unborn child, which provides midwives a profound potential to facilitate the process of maternal–fetal attachment.

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Body experience and the mother–child relationship in pregnancy: a cross-sectional study of pregnant Portuguese women

Cited by 2 publications

References 45 publications

Experiences and outcomes following diagnosis of congenital foetal anomaly and medical termination of pregnancy: A phenomenological study

Experiences and outcomes following diagnosis of congenital foetal anomaly and medical termination of pregnancy: A phenomenological study

Abdominal examination during pregnancy may enhance relationships between midwife, mother and child: a qualitative study of pregnant women’s experiences

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