My life as Mae Tid Chua [mothers who contracted HIV disease]: Motherhood and women living with HIV/AIDS in central Thailand

Motherhood and HIV: reproductive desire, ambivalent feelings and a/an (not) offered care

“…Feelings of women living with HIV regarding the possibility of motherhood and in the course of a pregnancy Motivation for reproduction: the desire to be mothers versus the desire postponed or abolished after the diagnosis of HIV infection (13)(14)(15)(16)(17)(18)(19)(20)(21)(22)31) Fears and insecurities regarding the uncertainties regarding the clinical outcomes of effective gestation (13)(14)(15)(19)(20)(22)(23)(24)(25)(26)(27)(28)(29) Effective gestation produces feelings of hope, renewal and greater motivation for self-care (13,15,(19)(20)(24)(25)(26)(27)(29)(30) Care provided and not provided by health professionals to women living with HIV with regard to reproductive health as a right Support for reproductive decisions on safe means to effect the desire for pregnancy in fact or during prenatal care (19,21,23,(32)(33)(34) Disregard for the reproductive demands of women living with HIV (14)(15)(19)(20)(21)(24...…”

“…Besides VT (13,15) , women fear the acceleration of their disease progression and the possibility of dying, leaving their children alone (14)(15)(24)(25) . Add to this the fear of side effects of medication and of children suffering from prejudice and discrimination (15) , and concern that they cannot breastfeed (13) .…”

“…This is because pregnancy brings with it the constant memory of the diagnosis (28) . Some women, in a study in Thailand, stated that if the child had HIV it would be very difficult to deal with life in general (24) . This guilt for having generated a child at risk was also evidenced in a study in Ceará State, which sought to evaluate non-verbal communication in the interaction between mother and child.…”

“…Along with the work that shows feelings related to suffering, worries and displeasures, there have also been those who show that the news of motherhood can bring hope, renewal and motivation for the self-care of women living with HIV. Unplanned pregnancies become essential in their lives and are not only an encouragement not to develop a more advanced phase of the disease, but a reason to avoid the social misfortunes of infection and allow them to lead a meaningful life as a sign of hope, as opposed to the idea of death associated with AIDS (24,27,30) .…”

“…Even in the face of a still strongly present stigma, two qualitative studies in Thailand and Mexico show that women do not "give up" of the dream of being a mother. Children acquire a vital meaning, often becoming the main, if not the only, reason in the fight against the feeling of hopelessness so frequent in this population (24)(25) . The possibility of these being born without the virus constitutes a source of motivation for their own lives (15,30) , makes them feel renewed (19) , brings satisfaction and brings them to a moment of happiness with expectations of generating a healthy child (13,20,30) .…”