Women\u27s personal constructions of childbearing: The interplay of knowledge, emotions, and expectations as understood through pregnancy and birth stories

This exploratory study examined women\u27s perceptions of childbearing and of themselves as contributors of knowledge and information regarding their health and pregnancy through the telling of their pregnancy and birth stories. The study explored the interplay between knowledge, emotions, and expectations as women negotiated their desired expectations into their prenatal care or perceived the need to modify these notions in order to comply with prescribed care plans as set forth by their prenatal care providers. It was an attempt to understand the women\u27s concepts of prenatal care and the role that anxiety plays in affecting women\u27s behaviors and decisions. This study was intended to give insight into situations where the women met with conflict or the unexpected as they pursued safe passage for their fetuses and themselves. A pregnancy story is defined as a woman\u27s description of the experience of her current pregnancy, which includes narrative regarding events, thoughts, feelings, impressions, images, memories, and details she reported. Personal meanings were created from the dialogue between me and my participants with the intent that all who read this study better understand the lived experience of the women who were currently receiving prenatal care. A qualitative method was used consisting of conversational interviews, which were audio-taped and transcribed verbatim. A total of 14 women were interviewed at three separate intervals during their pregnancies---as early as possible in their prenatal care process but not later than their 20 th week of pregnancy, between 32-38 weeks, and at 2-4 months postpartum. All the women in this study started their prenatal care with an obstetrical (physician-based) practice. Two women left their obstetricians and sought care with midwives and remained participants in this study. Coding was done using content analysis of words and phrases and thematic analysis for concepts, clusters, vignettes, and the women\u27s interpretations of their meanings. Meaning as intended by the participants was derived using a modified discourse analysis technique