In heterosexual couples, both partners’ intentions to have a baby (or not) are associated with the likelihood of a subsequent birth, yet most studies only measure women’s intentions. Therefore, little is known about the potential association of couple agreement or disagreement on intentions or on such values as importance of parenthood, career, and leisure and the implications for childbearing. The goal of this article is to assess whether couple-level agreement or disagreement in fertility intentions and values are associated with the likelihood of a subsequent birth. Guided by the Theory of Conjunctural Action, we use couple data from two waves of the U.S. National Survey of Fertility Barriers for our analysis. Based on logistic regression analysis, we find that if either partner intends a child, the odds of having a baby within 3 years are higher than if neither partner intends and that the odds are substantially higher when both partners intend a child. Couples in whom both partners and couples in whom only the woman has a high value on career success are less likely to have a baby. Our findings suggest that agreement on fertility intentions is associated with considerably higher birth probability and that values about life domains matter as well. Couple disagreement on intentions and values are related in different ways to birth outcomes depending on which partner holds which value as important. Using data from both partners allows us to examine the patterns of couple agreement, values, and gendered influences related to birth outcomes.
This study models associations between pregnancy intendedness and prenatal maternal-fetal bonding with postnatal maternal-infant bonding. Unintended pregnancies are associated with disruptions in maternal-infant bonding, which has long-term adverse implications for maternal and child well-being. Given the high proportion of births that are unintended in the United States, identifying protective factors is critical. Pregnant women (ages 16-38) were recruited from two prenatal clinics in a metropolitan city in the South Central United States at their first prenatal visit and followed throughout pregnancy and postbirth. Multiple regression analyses examined associations, mediation, and moderation. Results indicate that the more unintended/unwanted women reported their pregnancies to be, the lower they reported their maternal-infant bonding postbirth, and higher maternal-fetal bonding scores are associated with higher postnatal maternal-infant bonding. An interaction revealed that a higher level of prenatal bonding is protective for postnatal bonding among those with unintended/unwanted pregnancies. Because prenatal bonding can be enhanced through intervention, it is a promising target to reduce the risks associated with unintended pregnancy.
Approximately half of all pregnancies are unintended. Many (58%) are carried to term, but a substantial proportion of unintended pregnancies are terminated. In this paper, we draw from qualitative interviews with 33 women who experienced an unintended pregnancy in an effort to examine the meanings women attributed to their pregnancies and to explore how narratives differ for women who chose to continue their pregnancies vs. those who opted for termination. Findings from grounded-theory analysis highlight the importance of cognitive appraisal, ability to navigate resources, availability of support, individual values and beliefs, and situational context in women's decisions to terminate or continue with an unintended pregnancy.
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