TY - JOUR

T1 - "I would never be able to forgive myself if it ended up having consequences for the child"

T2 - A qualitative study of perceptions of stress and worries among healthy first-time pregnant Danish women

AU - Ladekarl, Monica

AU - de Wolff, Mie Gaardskjær

AU - Nøhr, Ellen Aagaard

AU - Olsen, Nanna Julie

AU - Specht, Ina Olmer

AU - Heitmann, Berit Lilienthal

AU - Brødsgaard, Anne

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2022 The Author(s)

PY - 2022

Y1 - 2022

N2 - Background: Becoming a mother is one of the most transitional experiences in life. It requires psychological, physical, and social adjustment and adaptation in various areas and can be conceived as both a stressful and joyful experience by many women. Especially, first-time pregnancies are recognised as a period of emotional sensitivity. Moreover, stress is a well-established risk factor for premature birth and low birth weight and might affect the health of the offspring. Thus, this study explores the perception of stress and worries in healthy Danish pregnant nulliparous women. Methods: We used a qualitative, inductive, exploratory design. Three focus group interviews were conducted with 16 healthy pregnant nulliparous women. Data from the focus group interviews were analysed using content analysis according to Graneheim and Lundman. Findings: Three main categories contributed to the core theme “Identity Limbo”. The categories were: (1) The great responsibility, (2) Imagining picture-perfect, and (3) Two-in-one body. The participants expressed that holding on to their current identity was extremely important. They simultaneously tried to incorporate their new identity as mothers, which imposed sadness about saying goodbye to their old life, leaving them in an identity limbo. These women did not experience classic stressors such as bereavement, poverty, or trauma. Still, the great responsibility for the child's future, changes to their work and career, and saying goodbye to their pre-pregnancy identity were all essential contributors to feelings of stress in the women's current pregnancy and life. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that the identity limbo triggered by pregnancy can make the transition to motherhood stressful for some women. Therefore, with the potentially severe consequences of stress in mind, developing tools that can help women and midwives focus on the mental transition of pregnancy is needed.

AB - Background: Becoming a mother is one of the most transitional experiences in life. It requires psychological, physical, and social adjustment and adaptation in various areas and can be conceived as both a stressful and joyful experience by many women. Especially, first-time pregnancies are recognised as a period of emotional sensitivity. Moreover, stress is a well-established risk factor for premature birth and low birth weight and might affect the health of the offspring. Thus, this study explores the perception of stress and worries in healthy Danish pregnant nulliparous women. Methods: We used a qualitative, inductive, exploratory design. Three focus group interviews were conducted with 16 healthy pregnant nulliparous women. Data from the focus group interviews were analysed using content analysis according to Graneheim and Lundman. Findings: Three main categories contributed to the core theme “Identity Limbo”. The categories were: (1) The great responsibility, (2) Imagining picture-perfect, and (3) Two-in-one body. The participants expressed that holding on to their current identity was extremely important. They simultaneously tried to incorporate their new identity as mothers, which imposed sadness about saying goodbye to their old life, leaving them in an identity limbo. These women did not experience classic stressors such as bereavement, poverty, or trauma. Still, the great responsibility for the child's future, changes to their work and career, and saying goodbye to their pre-pregnancy identity were all essential contributors to feelings of stress in the women's current pregnancy and life. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that the identity limbo triggered by pregnancy can make the transition to motherhood stressful for some women. Therefore, with the potentially severe consequences of stress in mind, developing tools that can help women and midwives focus on the mental transition of pregnancy is needed.

KW - Focus group interviews

KW - Identity

KW - Midwifery

KW - Normal pregnancy

KW - Stress

KW - Worries

U2 - 10.1016/j.midw.2022.103421

DO - 10.1016/j.midw.2022.103421

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 35834912

AN - SCOPUS:85133927001

VL - 112

JO - Midwifery

JF - Midwifery

SN - 0266-6138

M1 - 103421

ER -