Struggling for motherhood with an intellectual disability—A qualitative study of women's experiences in Sweden

Höglund, Berit; Larsson, Margareta

doi:10.1016/j.midw.2012.06.014

Cited by 48 publications

(31 citation statements)

References 24 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Although one mother had the clear impression that healthcare professionals were expecting her to fail (which she did not), none had had their right to be a parent challenged by maternity practitioners. This is in line with the findings of a small qualitative study of English midwives' attitudes and experiences34 but contrary to a survey of Swedish midwives, a third of whom partly or wholly agreed that women with learning disabilities should not have children 15…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 69%

‘We both just wanted to be normal parents’: a qualitative study of the experience of maternity care for women with learning disability

et al. 2017

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

BackgroundMore women with learning disability (LD) are becoming mothers. Women with LD have rights to equal access to maternity care that meets their needs, however, many have poor pregnancy and birth outcomes compared to other women in the UK. Research is limited in this area.ObjectivesThe aim of the study was to explore the lived experiences of pregnancy, childbirth, prenatal and postnatal care and services received by this group of women in the UK, including their expressed information and support needs relating to maternity care.MethodsA qualitative study in which data were generated using in-depth semistructured interviews with learning disabled women who were pregnant or had given birth within the last 3 years in the UK; data were analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis.Results9 women with varying levels of cognitive impairment took part. 4 super-ordinate themes were identified: ‘I hate being treated differently’, ‘I find it harder to understand than other people’, ‘We've had to prove ourselves’ and ‘Make sure you've got very good support around you’. Subthemes included: ‘Negative attitudes and denial of choice’, ‘Understanding of normal care’, ‘Written information’ and ‘Being judged by professionals’.ConclusionsWith support from family and services, learning disabled women can become confident and successful parents. Maternity services should make reasonable adjustments when providing care to this group, including adapting to their individual communication and learning needs: allowing sufficient time in appointments, offering clear explanations of each aspect of care and sensitive support for autonomy and fully informed choice. Mothers who will be subject to a social care assessment of their parenting skills need clear information about the process, their choices and the level of skill they must demonstrate, as well as access to sufficient antenatal and postnatal support to give them the best possible chance of passing the assessment.

show abstract

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 69%

‘We both just wanted to be normal parents’: a qualitative study of the experience of maternity care for women with learning disability

et al. 2017

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…However, research in other countries indicates that women with IDD have limited understanding of the birth process and feel unsupported during pregnancy and childbirth (Walsh-Gallagher, Sinclair & Mc Conkey, 2012; Mayes, Llewellyn & McConnell, 2006; Höglund & Larsson 2013), and midwives report having insufficient training or time during appointments to provide adequate support to women with IDD (Castell & Stenfert Kroese, 2016). Women with IDD are more likely to experience pregnancy complications, such as preeclampsia, that are associated with increased risk of cesarean delivery (Brown, et al, 2016; McConnell, et al, 2008; Parish, et al, 2015).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Primary Cesarean Delivery Patterns among Women with Physical, Sensory, or Intellectual Disabilities

Darney

Biel

Quigley

et al. 2017

Women's Health Issues

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

INTRODUCTION Little is known about the relationship between disability and mode of delivery. Prior research has indicated elevated risk of cesarean delivery among women with certain disabilities, but has not examined patterns across multiple types of disability or by parity. OBJECTIVE To determine whether physical, sensory, or intellectual and developmental disabilities are independently associated with primary cesarean delivery. METHODS We conducted a retrospective cohort study of all deliveries in California 2000–2010 using linked birth certificate and hospital discharge data. We identified physical, sensory, and intellectual and developmental disabilities using ICD-9 codes. We used logistic regression to examine the association of these disabilities and primary cesarean delivery, controlling for socio-demographic characteristics and co-morbidities and stratified by parity. RESULTS In our sample, 0.45% (20,894/4,610,955) of deliveries were to women with disabilities. A larger proportion of women with disabilities were nulliparous, had public insurance, and had co-morbidities (e.g., gestational diabetes) compared with women without disabilities (p<0.001 for all). The proportion of primary cesarean in women with disabilities was twice that in women without disabilities (32.7% versus 16.3%, p<0.001; aOR = 2.05; 95% CI = 1.94–2.17). The proportion of deliveries by cesarean was highest among women with physical disabilities due to injuries compared with women without disabilities (57.8% versus 16.3%, p<0.001; aOR = 6.83; 95%CI = 5.46–8.53). CONCLUSION Women across disability subgroups have higher odds of cesarean delivery, and there is heterogeneity by disability type. More attention is needed to this population to ensure better understanding of care practices that may impact maternal and perinatal outcomes.

show abstract

“…The mothers in this study, however, did not express such fears, but rather an emphasis on the concept of choice emerged. In past studies, mothers with intellectual disability have expressed that health professionals or family members can undermine decisions they make for themselves or their baby (Höglund & Larsson ). In this study, mothers felt strongly the choice was theirs to make; that is, until after the baby was born and they were faced with challenges, they were not equipped to handle on their own.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mothering with an Intellectual Disability: A Phenomenological Exploration of Making Infant‐Feeding Decisions

Guay

Aunos

Collin‐Vézina

2016

Research Intellect Disabil

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Struggling for motherhood with an intellectual disability—A qualitative study of women's experiences in Sweden

Cited by 48 publications

References 24 publications

‘We both just wanted to be normal parents’: a qualitative study of the experience of maternity care for women with learning disability

‘We both just wanted to be normal parents’: a qualitative study of the experience of maternity care for women with learning disability

Primary Cesarean Delivery Patterns among Women with Physical, Sensory, or Intellectual Disabilities

Mothering with an Intellectual Disability: A Phenomenological Exploration of Making Infant‐Feeding Decisions

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About