“It was kind of like if it happens it happens. It wasn’t planned, it wasn’t intentional”: Young mothers’ experiences with subsequent pregnancy in Ottawa, Canada

Abstract

Young mothers constitute a vulnerable population in Canada. Teens with children are at significant risk of subsequent pregnancy, a dynamic that can exacerbate health, emotional, and socio-economic challenges. We aimed to understand better the dynamics shaping "rapid repeat pregnancy" among young mothers in Ottawa, explore young mothers' subsequent pregnancy experiences, and identify how services could be improved in Canada's capital. In 2016, we conducted in-depth interviews with 10 young mothers and semi-structured interviews with 10 key informants working with pregnant and parenting youth. We analyzed interviews for content and themes using a multi-phased, iterative process. Four major themes emerged: (1) young mothers often plan their pregnancies actively or passively; (2) violence before, during, and after pregnancy is common; (3) mental health and substance abuse issues shape pregnancy risk; and (4) becoming pregnant often serves as a source of motivation for young mothers. Our results further indicate that young mothers have difficulty finding youthfriendly, non-judgmental support services and that integrated, multidisciplinary services offering individually tailored support and building on women's strengths will likely be more successful in helping young mothers prevent subsequent pregnancies. Increasing awareness about existing services and supporting efforts that approach teen pregnancy comprehensively and holistically appear warranted.

Prospective Attitude about the Importance of Planning Pregnancies Is Associated with Retrospective Attitude toward a Specific Pregnancy

“…As noted above, one quarter of the women (25 percent) in the sample disagreed or disagreed strongly that it is important to plan pregnancies. This finding challenges the assumption sometimes made by fertility researchers that virtually all women endorse the planning schema and supports the claim made by many that women differ in the importance they attribute to the idea of planning pregnancies (Barrett and Wellings 2002;Borrero et al 2015;Fortier and Foster 2017;Geist et al 2019;Gomez et al 2018;Hernandez et al 2020;Jones 2018;Kendall et al 2005;Rocca et al 2013;Shreffler et al 2012). The results also demonstrate that, contrary to assumptions in much research on "unintended pregnancies," a substantial minority of women are not planful, but rather nearly a third described themselves as okay either way at the time of their pregnancies.…”

“…There is some evidence, however, suggesting that not all women embrace the planning schema but rather that women differ in the salience they attribute to the idea of planning pregnancies (Barrett and Wellings 2002; Borrero et al 2015; Fortier and Foster 2017; Geist et al 2019; Jones 2018; Kendall et al 2005; Rocca, Harper, and Raine-Bennett 2013). Shreffler et al (2012) found, in a qualitative study of 56 lower income women of reproductive age in a south central city, that 27 percent of their sample felt that planning one’s pregnancies is only moderately important and that 21 percent held it to be of little or no importance.…”

Is pregnancy fatalism normal? An attitudinal assessment among women trying to get pregnant and those not using contraception

“…Nonuse of contraception could be a sign that a woman is open to the idea of getting pregnant even if she does not report that she is purposely trying to do so. Some situations where women are not actively trying to get pregnant but not using contraception might be considered a type of “passive” pregnancy planning [17,18].…”

Padrões e determinantes das descontinuidades contraceptivas no uso de pílula oral, hormonal injetável e preservativo masculino

“…Isso se justifica porque muitas mulheres participantes deste estudo ainda pretendem ter filhos ou estão indecisas quanto a isso e são justamente essas mulheres as que têm maior probabilidade de descontinuar o uso de MAC (Moreau et al, 2010;Modey, Aryeetey, Adanu, 2014). Esse achado corrobora com outros estudos que indicam que nem todas mulheres com experiência de certos eventos reprodutivos, como gravidez e abortamento, modificam seus comportamentos de forma a influenciar a prevenção de gravidez não planejada (Moreau et al, 2010;Modey, Aryeetey, Adanu, 2014;Fortier, Foster, 2017 (Ali, Cleland, 2005;Moreau, Cleland, Trussell, 2007;Leite, Gupta, 2007;Murphy, Brixner, 2008;Vaughan et al, 2008). Em outro estudo brasileiro, realizado com 12.612 mulheres de 15 a 49 anos, sua taxa de descontinuidade foi 63,7% em 12 meses de uso, bem maior do que a observada neste estudo (Leite, Gupta, 2007).…”