Women's Feelings Facing High-Risk Pregnancy

Abstract

Introduction: Pregnancy is considered a unique and memorable event in a woman's life. High-risk pregnancy is a stressful experience due to the risks to which the mother and the baby are exposed, and due to the changes that negatively affect their emotional balance.

Objective: To identify the feelings experienced by pregnant women facing high-risk pregnancy.

Method: Descriptive and exploratory, employing a qualitative approach, the study featured a convenience sample of women with high-risk pregnancies, selected based on inpatient service availability, until interview saturation was achieved. Data collection was conducted over  a two-month period through scripted interviews. Data analysis was performed utilizing Minayo's content analysis technique.

Results: Thirty-seven women participated in the study. The results were categorized as follows: How the high-risk diagnosis was determined; Feelings upon discovering the pregnancy was  high-risk;  Feelings regarding family support regarding the high-risk pregnancy. The feelings reported by pregnant and postpartum women who experienced high-risk pregnancies clearly reveal the impacts this event has, not only on physical health, but especially on emotional well-being, leaving the pregnant women in a vulnerable state.

Conclusion: The study allowed us to realize that the feelings experienced in this process can negatively interfere in the lives of these women. However, despite this situation, many of them express mixed feelings, because even with the gestational risk, they are grateful for the gift of motherhood.