'Which baby?': a qualitative study exploring the fantasies about the unborn baby among women with hyperemesis gravidarum

Autor: Eleni Tsalkitzi, Panagiotis Nikolakopoulos, Evangelos Karanikas
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2021
Předmět:
Zdroj: Journal of Psychosomatic Obstetrics and Gynecology, Vol 42, Iss 4, Pp 320-327 (2021)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 0167-482X
1743-8942
0167482X
DOI: 10.1080/0167482X.2020.1750004
Popis: This study aims to explore the conscious fantasies about the unborn baby among women experiencing hyperemesis gravidarum and identify possible clinical implications. Fourteen inpatient women with moderate to severe symptoms of hyperemesis gravidarum and between the 12 and 14 weeks gestation participated in semi-structured interviews. Analysis of the transcripts revealed escape and aggression fantasies about the baby, denial of fantasies in the categories tested (name, sex, external and internal characteristics of the baby), freezing of the maternal-fetus bond, and ambivalence toward the continuation of the pregnancy. Neither the severity of symptoms nor the stated quality of life mediated the results. These findings suggest that the discussion and reframing of fantasies can be proven helpful and relieving for the women facing any pregnancy complication. Toward achieving a multidisciplinary approach, the variable of fantasy should be considered among others.
Databáze: Directory of Open Access Journals