Reflexions on pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period

Pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum trigger enormous changes in a woman’s life, which are experienced differently due to the particular characteristics, expectations, and the personal history of every woman.
Logically, one of the core aspects promoting the changes is the presence of the baby, which becomes increasingly real to the expectant mother as pregnancy progresses. This interaction between the mother and the unborn child supports the development of thoughts and ideas about the forthcoming child and about the woman as a mother (Viziello et al, 1993).
It has been argued that the whole pregnancy period can be seen as a process where the expectant mother is slowly undergoing the changes and facing the several issues that will prepare her for mothering, and the particular challenges of every trimester of have been described (Smith, 1999).

The first trimester - from conception until the end of the third month - is characterized by physiologic changes in the body, being a time of uncertainty and adjustment to the new state. At this stage “the nature of change can itself be an issue” (Smith, 1999, p.286).

During the second trimester, the pregnant woman can feel the movements of her baby, a fact that helps her acquire a more realistic perception of the infant while seeing him/her as independent from her own body (Caplan, 1959 in Trad, 1990). Withdrawing from the world has been described as another important feature in this stage. The pregnant woman would draw her attention from the public world to focus herself in her own experiences and the familial domain. The focus on relationships with her own family, and other pregnant women or mothers, may help the mother-to-be to smooth the transition into motherhood as well as reinforces her network for social support.

During the third trimester women may experience varied feelings related to the forthcoming birth, possible fears about delivery and childcare, and mixed ideas about mothering the baby, due to the proximity of childbirth (Caplan, 1959 in Trad, 1990). Attention is shifted outwards again, and the self-containing state slowly comes to an end giving way to a different and more realistic relationship to the newborn. Finally, after childbirth, women face the challenge to adjust themselves to the newborn; personal projects begin slowly to re-gain importance as the baby grows up and a new balance based in the changes in perceptions and priorities related to the new – or reinforced - state of motherhood is to be made (Smith, 1999).

References

Smith, J. (1999). Identitiy development during the transition to motherhood: an interpretative phenomenological analysis. Journal of reproductive and infant physiology.17, 281-299

Trad, P. (1990). Emergence and resolution of ambivalence in expectant mothers. American Journal of Psychotherapy. 4, 577-589.

Vizziello, G., Antonioli, M., Cocci, V. & Invernizzi, R. (1993). From pregnancy to motherhood: The structure of representative and narrative change. Infant Mental Health Journal. 14, 4-13.