I want to be a mom who is clean, who loves herself, and feels ok with herself-pregnant women’s thoughts about motherhood and their unborn child when in treatment for substance use problems

Abstract

There exists a vast amount of research and literature on pregnant women struggling with substance use problems and the challenges they can face in providing adequate and sensitive parenting. The aim of the present study was to explore the thoughts about motherhood and their unborn child of pregnant women in voluntary or involuntary substance use treatment, and to gain insight into their childhood attachment experiences. A total of 16 women in involuntary or voluntary treatment were interviewed about their thoughts about motherhood, their unborn child, and the treatment they were receiving. A phenomenological/hermeneutic analytical approach was used. Four categories emerged from the analysis: Influences of childhood experience, on becoming a mother, relating to the unborn child, and the meaning of treatment. The findings and their implications for treatment planning and support are discussed as a contribution to discussions of issues around compulsory treatment for pregnant woman with an SUD.