Social changes

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 makes 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.