Dataset Information

Abdominal examination during pregnancy may enhance relationships between midwife, mother and child: a qualitative study of pregnant women's experiences.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Abdominal examination is a routine procedure performed by midwives several times during pregnancy to monitor the growth and well-being of the baby. Literature and instructions regarding abdominal examination focus on the technical performance, with limited attention paid to the women's experience of the examination or the bonding-related aspects between the mother and baby. The aim of the study was to explore how pregnant women experience the abdominal examination and how the examination affects maternal-fetal attachment.

Methods

Participant observation and semi-structured interviews with 10 pregnant women. We used thematic analysis to identify themes across the empirical material.

Results

We identified the following four central themes: an essential examination, the baby becomes real, the importance of being involved and different senses provide different experiences. These themes describe how the women regarded the abdominal examination as an essential part of the midwifery consultation and considered it the occasion when the baby became real and tangible. Being prepared and involved before and during the examination were pivotal for how the examination was experienced by the women. The abdominal examination was crucial to the pregnant women because it provided them with important sensory aspects that were not obtained from ultrasound examination.

Conclusion

The abdominal examination is regarded as essential in midwifery consultations and has the potential for supporting a woman's bodily sensation of her baby, which is reinforced by the midwife's manual palpation. Touch can be a way for a pregnant woman to become acquainted with her unborn child, which provides midwives a profound potential to facilitate the process of maternal-fetal attachment.

SUBMITTER: Bonnen KB

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9887567 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Abdominal examination during pregnancy may enhance relationships between midwife, mother and child: a qualitative study of pregnant women's experiences.

Bonnén Katrine Bruun KB Offersen Sara Marie Hebsgaard SMH Høstrup Lea Høj LH Maimburg Rikke Damkjær RD

BMC pregnancy and childbirth 20230131 1

<h4>Background</h4>Abdominal examination is a routine procedure performed by midwives several times during pregnancy to monitor the growth and well-being of the baby. Literature and instructions regarding abdominal examination focus on the technical performance, with limited attention paid to the women's experience of the examination or the bonding-related aspects between the mother and baby. The aim of the study was to explore how pregnant women experience the abdominal examination and how the ...[more]

PMID: 36721122

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Dataset Information

Abdominal examination during pregnancy may enhance relationships between midwife, mother and child: a qualitative study of pregnant women's experiences.

Background

Methods

Results

Conclusion

Publications

Abdominal examination during pregnancy may enhance relationships between midwife, mother and child: a qualitative study of pregnant women's experiences.

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