PSYCHOSOCIAL AND CULTURAL ASPECT OF PREGNANCY - NURSING ASSIGNMENT

INTRODUCTION

        The nurse has a unique responsibility and challenge in maternity care. Because of his holistic view of human health and especially because of its concern with emotional health nursing must concern itself with a broad range of factors that affect how women and their families adopt to pregnancy and child birth.

        Pregnancy and child birth are events that touch nearly every aspect of human experience. Biologic, psychological,  social and culture individual adaptations to child bearing on each of these levels may be quite different depending on age, health, socio-economic status and cultural background of the women and her family.

ADJUSTMENT TO PREGNANCY

        Pregnancy and becoming a parent represent major changes in the life of a women. The psychological change women experience may be described as shift in their self image, belief, values, priorities, behaviour patterns, relationship with others and problem solving skills various factors have been proposed as influencing the psychologic dynamics accompanying pregnancy. These include the women’s characteristics coping mechanisms, stage of pregnancy, her current life stresses, her stage in life cycle, the symbolic meaning of pregnancy to her and relationship with in her family.

Acceptance of Pregnancy

        Accepting the pregnancy is one of the first changes a women must make for a successful transition in life style. This acceptance refers to a woman’s adoptive responses to all of the changes inherent in prenatal growth and development.

        A woman who cannot accept the pregnancy will find it very difficult to accept the changes necessitated by pregnancy, child birth and interaction with the  new born.

        Particular areas need to be assessed concerning a woman’s acceptance of pregnancy.

·        Extent to which the pregnancy was planned and wanted by the woman and her partner.

·        Amount of time the women in happy versus depressed using the pregnancy

·        Amount of reported discomfort during pregnancy and the woman’s response to the discomfort

·        Extent to which the women accepts or reject changes in her body.

Role Assumption and Maternal Adaptation

        Assuming and adopting to the role of mother are parts of a long term process. The psychological changes a woman undergone during pregnancy that enable her assume the maternal role actually build a life long process of informal socialization of learning a feminine identify.

Self-Image & Body Image during Pregnancy

        Other aspects of the psychologic change a woman undergoes during pregnancy are self image and body image. Self image and body image will be different, depending on the woman’s trimester of pregnancy. There are three interdependent spheres of self that influence the psychological transition to role of mother the ideal self the self image and the body image.

        The ideal self is composed of all the attributes, qualities and images a person would like to have and hope to include the self.

        Self image refers to the more reality oriented active self, it is the self that interfaces with real world, here and now

        Body image during pregnancy has to do the woman’s perception of her size, how she moves and her own physical beauty or ugliness.

Maternal Role Attainment

        Maternal role attainment, that acquisition of the mothering role, is described as process that begins prenately and ends with formation of a maternal identify during the infants first years. For first time mothers, it is a process in which the mother achieves competence in the role and integrates the mothering behaviours in to her established role set, so that she is comfortable with their identify as a mother.

Lack of Knowledge and Preparation for the Maternal Role

        In modern nuclear family, guidelines for parenting are confusing and role models less apparent than in some other family types stressors include the lack of guidelines for successful parenting.

Establishing A Relationship with the Fetus

        During the course of pregnancy and the transition to a new life style and the maternal roles a mother needs to establish a relationship with the infant to be. The  relationship with fetus is through to be the first stage in establishing a relationship with the newborn and then the child.

Fantasy during Pregnancy

        Fantasy is an important factor in assumption of the maternal role and transition in to the life style of women and child. Fantasies during pregnancy allow a women to have a “dress rehersal” for labor and delivery and mothering of an infant. Realistic fantasies of potential problems that might occur during pregnancy and labour and delivery can help the women prepare herself to cope with these problems or complications, should they occur.

CULTURAL ASPECT

        Cultural is the context in which groups of people interpret the define their experience relevant to life transitions such as birthing illness and dying. It is the system of meaning by with people make sense of their experience reproduction in valued across cultures because it promotes continuity of the family and community.

Diet

        Cultures encourages the pregnant women to maintain a diet to generally considered a normal one for that is generally considered a normal one for that culture. Food taboos are common, usually reflecting a cultural belief that certain foods are unclean or fears that ingesting certain food will produce undesirable physical characteristic in the new born. For example pregnant Korean women avoid eating chicken crab, eggs drank, rabbit and blemished fruits as those may harm baby’s appearance some cultures that subscribe to hot and cold theory of illness such as the Hindus, view pregnancy as a hot state.

        So cold goods such as milk and milk products sour foods and vegetables are encouraged. Hot foods such as chillies, ginger and animal products are believed to cause miscarriage and fetal abnormalities.

Activity and Rest

        Must cultures encourage a pregnant women to maintain normal activities, excluding strenuous works, although some encourage more rest during pregnancy. Norms for sexual activity during pregnancy are more variable ranging form no change to strict prohibition of sexual intercourse through the second half of pregnancy.

        Usually the postpartum period is characterized by more restrictions on maternal activity. Most cultures encourage a period for rest. Some as long as 40 days, during which time the mother is confined to her home, often to her bed. Some cultures regard the post partum woman as unclean and prohibit her participation in religious activities when this is the case, there is usually provision for a ritual cleansing for both mother and infant at the end of the confinement period.  

Preparation for Birth

        Preparations for the actual birth may include intensive preparation of the house and actual physical preparations of the mother through specific exercises, religious practices or diet. However, some cultures view preparation in advance of the event as potentially dangerous. Advance preparation or even referring to the fetus by name may be seen as tempting fate and making the mother and fetus vulnerable to evil influences.

CONCLUSION

        Child bearing has profound social and psychological effects on women, on men, and on their relationships with each other. The nurse who understands the complex factors affecting the psychological experience of child bearing is equipped to give more appropriate, sensitive and effective care. The nurse is then able to anticipate potential risk factors for women, such as those posed by early and delayed child bearing and intervene before the woman’s health is compromised.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

·        Comprehensive Maternity Nursing: Kotharya A May and Laura R, Page No. 254-258.

·        Fundamental of Nursing, Potter and Perry, Page No. 1104-11083.

·        Maternity Nursing, Lawcie N Sheewen, mary Ann Scolovena, Page No. 65-67