Maternity Ch. 5 Flashcards
Maternal tasks
● Ensuring a safe passage for herself and her child: the mother’s knowledge and care-seeking behaviors to ensure that both she and the newborn emerge from pregnancy healthy.
● Ensuring social acceptance of the child by significant others: the woman’s engagement of her family and social network in the pregnancy.
● Attaching or “binding-in” to the child: the development of maternal-fetal attachment.
● Giving of oneself to the demands of motherhood: the mother’s willingness and efforts to make personal sacrifices for the child. **
Acceptance of Pregnancy
● Responding to mood changes
● Responding to ambivalent feelings (okay to feel this way at the beginning
● Responding to nausea, fatigue, and other physical discomforts of the early months of pregnancy
Expected findings of acceptance of pregnancy
● Desire for and/or acceptance of pregnancy.
● Predominately happy feelings during pregnancy.
● Little physical discomfort or a high tolerance for the discomfort.
● Acceptance of body changes.
● Minimal ambivalent feelings and conflict regarding pregnancy by the end of her pregnancy. (Not good to feel this in 3rd trimester; need to assess reasoning)
● A dislike of being pregnant but a feeling of love for the unborn child.
Expected findings that facilitate fetal attachment and motherhood role
● Hearing the fetal heartbeat.
● Seeing the fetus move during an ultrasound examination.
● Feeling the fetus kick or move.
How does a pregnant woman’s relationship with their mom and partner effect pregnancy?
Could cause prolonged acceptance
Four components important to the woman’s relationship with her own mother are
● Availability of the woman’s mother to her in the past and in the present.
● The mother’s reaction to her daughter’s pregnancy. ● The mother’s relationship to her daughter.
● The mother’s willingness to reminisce with her daughter about her own childbirth and child-rearing experiences.
Assessment of the couple’s relationship includes:
● The partner is understanding and supportive of the woman.
● The partner is thoughtful and “pampers” the woman during pregnancy.
● The partner is involved in the pregnancy.
● The woman perceives that her partner is supportive. ● The woman is concerned about her partner’s needs of making emotional adjustments to the pregnancy and new role.
● Women in relationships with established open communication about sexuality are likely to have less difficulty with changes in sexual activity.
● Couples indicate that they are growing closer to each other during pregnancy.
● The partner is happy and excited about the pregnancy and prepares for the new role.
Prep for labor expected findings:
● The woman attends childbirth classes and reads books and online resources about labor and birth.
● The woman uses smartphone applications to track her pregnancy and growing fetus.
● The woman has dreams about labor and birth and works with her partner or birthing coach to develop a birth plan.
● The woman develops realistic expectations of labor and birth.
Degree of fear related to labor is related to
● The woman’s degree of trust with the medical and nursing staff, her partner, and other support persons.
● The woman’s attitude regarding the use of medication and anesthesia for labor pain management.
Education!!!!
Multiparity benefits and issues
Multigravidas may have the benefit of experience, but it should not be assumed that they need less help than a first-time mother. They know more of what to expect in terms of pain during labor, postpartum adaptation, and the many added responsibilities of motherhood, but they may need time to process and develop strategies for integrating a new member into the family.
Multiparity may greive
She may spend a great deal of time working out a new relationship with the first child and grieve for the loss of their special relationship. She also has to consider the financial issues associated with feeding, clothing, and providing for another child while at the same time maintaining a relationship with her partner and continuing her career, whether inside or outside the home.
***it is normal to grieve
Adolescent mothers
- Delayed prenatal care (may be hiding pregnancy)
- Lack partner support = negative maternal behaviors, adverse emotional health, and low birth weight
- Self-centered and oriented toward the present
Older moms
- Chronic diseases that are more common in women over 35 may affect the pregnancy. Older mothers are also more likely to have miscarriages, fetal chromosomal abnormalities, low birth weight infants, premature births, and multiple births
- More likely to have a c-section
Single mom
Single mothers may live at or below the poverty level, facing greater financial challenges, resulting in a higher risk of depression
● Telling the family may cause concern.
● Issues regarding legal guardianship in the event she is incapacitated must be considered.
● Deciding whether to put the father’s name on the birth certificate.
● Some single mothers are financially stable and have well-established careers. (could be single by choice so you know how to guide care)
Multigestational Pregnancy
-Carrying twins/triplets (Shocks parents)
If the woman is found to be carrying more than three fetuses, the parents may receive counseling regarding selective reduction of the pregnancies to reduce the incidence of premature birth and allow the remaining fetuses to grow to term gestation.
