Elsevier

Midwifery

Volume 20, Issue 2, June 2004, Pages 171-180
Midwifery

Young single women's experiences of pregnancy, adjustment, decision-making and ongoing identity construction

https://doi.org/10.1016/S0266-6138(03)00057-3Get rights and content

Abstract

Objective:

to explore young pregnant women's experiences of embodiment, ongoing identity construction, decision-making processes and the way in which these are influenced by contemporary discourse, information sources and interaction with health professionals and others.

Design:

an exploratory descriptive pilot study. Data were collected via diaries kept during pregnancy, two face-to-face, open-ended interviews, one in the second trimester of pregnancy and one six to eight weeks after the birth of the baby, and a brief telephone interview conducted six months post birth.

Setting:

a major metropolitan hospital for women in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, and the community.

Participants:

five English speaking participants, aged between 17 and 23 years.

Findings:

all the young women accepted, even welcomed, the physical changes of pregnancy. Acceptance of pregnancy and an evolving positive sense of identity was assisted by support from families, particularly mothers, access to sympathetic and expert health professionals, exposure to a range of opinions through classes, books and the media, general acceptance from society at large, support from friends, and choices and opportunities in relation to ongoing education and employment.

Introduction

The average age of first-time mothers in Australia is 27.1 years (Australia's Mothers and Babies, 1999). Women giving birth at age 23, or less, comprise only 16% of the 257 394 live births recorded (5% nationally and 3% in Victoria, Australia for 15–19 year olds). The purpose of this study was to explore young women's experiences of pregnancy, namely ongoing identity construction, including embodiment, decision-making processes and the way in which these are influenced by contemporary discourse, information sources and interaction with health professionals and others. The overall aim was to provide health professionals, particularly midwives, with insight into contemporary notions of what informs the experiences of young pregnant women under the age of 23 years.

Section snippets

Background To The Study

While the significance of bodily experience in nursing and medicine is increasingly recognised (Komesaroff, 1995; Komesaroff et al., 1997; Lawler, 1997; Parker, 1997) there is little contemporary scholarly writing or research on pregnant and maternal embodiment, particularly its relationship to ongoing identity construction. The literature of the 1970s and 1980s on the effect of pregnancy on the mother's self-concept tended to focus on psychosocial adaptation in pregnancy (Lederman, 1984),

Research design

This exploratory descriptive study utilised feminist principles. That is the focus of the research was on young women's experiences and the emphasis within the research process was on fostering a non-hierarchical relationship between the researcher and the participants, and sharing knowledge and power (Grbich, 1999). Following Smith, (1991), from a feminist perspective, I set out to explore ‘the relations of ruling’ (p. 10) organising people's lives. This term is used to identify any number of

Profile of the young women

The young women's profile was as follows: Megan aged 23 years, was employed as a childcare worker and in a stable relationship of 18 months duration; Jackie, aged 19 years, was working in part-time, casual employment until six months pregnant and with no contact with the father of her baby; Sally, aged 17 years, was unemployed and in regular contact with the father of her baby during pregnancy, but had limited contact after the birth; Lisa, aged 19 years, was a student at University and in

Discussion

The limitations of this study include the small number of women interviewed, and the fact that there were no young women under the age of 17. A further study is planned that will involve a larger sample size and include a more diverse group, particularly young women with few supports, and who, like Jackie, experience illness or problems with pregnancy.

The bodily changes of pregnancy for this small group of women overall were not viewed negatively, rather, like the young women in the study by

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank the anonymous referees for their constructive criticism that contributed to the final version of this paper.

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