The Relation of Health-Related Practices of Pregnant Women, Fatigue and Prenatal Attachment.

Abstract

To examine the relation of the health-related practices of expectant mothers during pregnancy and fatigue in mother and prenatal attachment. Descriptive study. Sakarya Training and Research Hospital, Turkey, between February and April 2016. The study sample consisted of pregnant women (at least 20-week gestation) aged 18 years or above (n=211) who applied to prenatal care services and agreed to participate in the study. The data were collected through a Personal Information Form, Brief Fatigue Inventory (BFI) and the Prenatal Attachment Inventory (PAI). The PAI medians of the participants were 55 [42-64], and the BFI medians were 30 [23-42], and a negative, statistically significant relationship was found between BFI and PAI (r= -0.184, p=0.007). Expectant mothers who develop positive health behaviors during pregnancy feel less fatigue and positively affect the prenatal attachment. It is important to evaluate prenatal attachment and identify the mother with low attachment scores.