Postpartum Mental Health of Women from Multi-Challenged Families

V diplomskem delu raziskujem duševno zdravje žensk v poporodnem obdobju, ki prihajajo iz družin s številnimi izzivi. V pregledu problematike preko literature predstavim družbeni konstrukt materinstva nekoč in danes ter opišem mite o materinstvu. Opišem tudi čustveni in psihološki vidik poroda in podporo, ki jo pri rojevanju ženska potrebuje. Naprej govorim o poporodnem obdobju in izzivih ter stiskah, ki jih lahko le-to prinese. V pregledu problematike namenim pozornost tudi vidiku očetovstva in partnerstva po porodu in se na koncu osredotočim na ženske, ki prihajajo iz družin s številnimi izzivi in mrežo pomoči, ki je ženskam na voljo. V naslednjem poglavju opišem svoj izbrani problem in predstavim pet raziskovalnih vprašanj, s katerimi sem si postavila okvir za teme zanimanja, ki sem jih kasneje raziskovala. V diplomski nalogi sem raziskovala izkušnje žensk med porodom in bivanjem v porodnišnici, izzive, s katerimi so se ženske v obporodnem obdobju soočale, vrste pomoči in podpore, ki so jo bile ženske v tem času deležne, načine, s katerimi so ženske svoje izzive reševale in ne nazadnje tudi možne potrebne spremembe v obporodnem sistemu, ki bi bile potrebne, da zagotovimo boljše duševno zdravje žensk v tem obdobju. Raziskava je kvalitativna, populacijo predstavljajo matere, ki prihajajo iz družin z dodatnimi izzivi in so imele v času opravljanja raziskave otroka starega dve leti ali manj. V raziskavo je bilo vključenih sedem žensk. Raziskava je pokazala, da so si bile izkušnje žensk v porodnišnici zelo različne, kljub temu pa so se pokazale tudi izrazito negativne izkušnje, ki so nedopustne. Pri porodu je navadno partner tisti, ki predstavlja podporno osebo, vendar ta ne zna vedno poskrbeti za vso podporo, ki jo ženska takrat potrebuje. To se pokaže predvsem pri tistih ženskah, ki so imele že pred porodom težave v partnerskem odnosu. Izzivi žensk, s katerimi so se v obporodnem obdobju soočale, se v poporodnem obdobju le še poglobijo. Raziskava je pokazala, da ženske ne prejmejo dovolj partnerjeve podpore v prvih mesecih po porodu in hkrati doživljajo celo paleto negativnih čustev. Glaven vir pomoči ženskam predstavlja primarna družina ali partner. Prav tako so nekatere ženske kot dober vir podpore in pomoči omenile patronažno službo. Večinoma so se ženske reševanja svojih izzivov lotile same, le dve izmed intervjuvank sta si poiskali strokovno pomoč. V raziskavi se je pokazala preobremenjenost formalnega sistema pomoči, nezaupanje v strokovnjake in potreba po ozaveščanju o neformalnih oblikah pomoči in krepitvi skupnosti.In the diploma thesis, I explore the mental health of women during the postpartum period who come from multi-challenged families. Through a literature review, I present the social construct of motherhood in the past and present, as well as describe myths about motherhood. I also discuss the emotional and psychological aspects of childbirth and the support women need during labor. Furthermore, I address the challenges and difficulties that can arise during the postpartum period. In reviewing the issue, I also focus on the aspect of fatherhood and partnership after childbirth. I ultimately concentrate on women who come from families with multiple challenges and the support that is available to them. In the next chapter, I describe my chosen problem and present my five research questions, which provide a framework for the topics of interest that I later investigate. Therefore, in the thesis, I examined women\u27s experiences during childbirth and their stay in the maternity wardthe challenges women faced during the postpartum periodthe types of help and support women received during this timethe ways in which women addressed their challengesand, finally, the potential necessary changes in the childbirth system to ensure better mental health for women during this period. The study is qualitative and the population consists of mothers from families with additional challenges, whose child was two years old or younger at the time of the research. Seven women were included in the study. The research reveals that women\u27s experiences in the maternity ward varied greatly, although significantly negative experiences also emerged. Typically, the partner is the support person during childbirthhowever, they may not always provide all the support the woman needs. This is particularly evident in women who had pre-existing difficulties in their relationship before childbirth. The challenges such women face during the postpartum period become even more profound. The study showed that women do not always receive sufficient support from their partners in the first months after childbirth and simultaneously experience a range of negative emotions. The main source of support for women is their immediate family or partner. Some women also mentioned home nursing services as a valuable source of support and assistance. Women mostly tackled their challenges on their own, with only two interviewees seeking professional help. The research revealed an overload on the formal support system, a lack of trust in professionals, and a need for awareness about informal forms of support and community strengthening