Expectativas e sentimentos de gestantes solteiras em relação aos seus bebês

Abstract

Pregnancy is a complex experience for the woman and several factors may facilitate or harm the course of this process. The literature suggests that parental support during pregnancy is crucial in psychological development of the child as well as the quality of the mother-infant relationship. In this sense it is plausible to think that the lack of parental support may eventually result in difficulties for this transitional moment. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate the feelings and expectations of unmarried pregnant women in relation to their babies. Attended nine primiparae aged 19 to 28 years, who were in the last trimester of pregnancy and had no health problems. All were single and taken responsibility for a child without the presence of the biological father or another partner to replace him. They were interviewed individually and their answers were examined using qualitative content analysis. The results indicated that assume all responsibility for a child brought some degree of distress for pregnant women, and resonances that experience permeated their expectations and feelings about the baby as much concerning sex, the name of the physical and psychological characteristics, their health and mother-infant interaction.