[The prenatal maternal representations in primiparous women with unplanned pregnancies].

Abstract

This paper analyses the prenatal representations on motherhood of 15 Spanish primiparous women who were in the dilemma of whether or not to continue with their pregnancies. Based on a qualitative methodological approach, semi-structured interviews were carried out which included in their design theoretical approaches of the so-called Maternal Constellation of Daniel Stern (1997). Through a content analysis of the interviews, an absence of mental representations of the baby in terms of both physical and characterological appearance was found in the sample, possibly due to the emotional impact generated by the news of the pregnancy. This absence of representations of the baby would reveal the importance of support and/or accompaniment by social and health care providers. It would also reveal the importance of the law in force maintaining the time for reflection, which, implemented with personalised, face-to-face and verbal counselling, would allow women who find themselves in this situation to choose freely, by providing them with all the information on alternatives for continuing their pregnancy with support and accompaniment.