Pregnant Body Research Articles

Understanding the body image perception of pregnant women during their third trimester in a tertiary care setting in Southern India

BackgroundPregnancy is a known physiological phenomenon characterized by various changes in the body. The physical and physiological changes that occur during pregnancy may impact the body image which may lead to implications such as body image issues or poor eating habits among pregnant women. This study aimed to analyze the body image perception of pregnant women in their third trimester.MethodsThis cross-sectional survey which involved the administration of a Multidimensional Body Self-Relations Questionnaire (MBSRQ), was conducted among pregnant women between 28 and 40 weeks of gestation in a tertiary care setting in Southern India. Descriptive statistics were used to report the demographic characteristics of the respondents. A one-sample t-test was used to analyze the difference between the present sample scores and the published norms of MBSRQ. Univariate Logistic Regression was done to find the association between the demographic variables and subdomains of MBSRQ.ResultsThe mean age of the respondents (n = 246) was 29.5 years, and the period of gestation was 33.4 weeks. With mean scores of subscales of MSRQ as reference values, a greater proportion of women had higher scores on appearance orientation (52.44%), health evaluation (56.91%), and illness orientation (55.28%). Respondents scored less on appearance evaluation (52.03%) and body areas satisfaction scale (50.41%). The study found that pre-pregnancy BMI, abdominal circumference, and weight gain during pregnancy were associated with appearance orientation, overweight preoccupation, and self-classified weight. Health evaluation was associated with weight gain and Instagram use, while moderate-intensity physical activity during pregnancy was associated with higher health orientation.ConclusionAlthough pregnant women in our setting during the third trimester were oriented towards their appearance and considered themselves healthy and fit, almost half of the respondents reported dissatisfaction with their changing bodies and appearance. Self-reported physical activity status, body mass index, weight gain, level of education, use of Instagram app, and type of family were factors found to affect pregnant body image perception. Hence, we conclude that body image perception is affected during pregnancy, and healthcare professionals should be aware of this, and the factors associated with it while addressing the health of pregnant women.Clinical trial registration detailsThe study was registered under the Clinical Trials Registry- India: CTRI/2023/08/056524. https://ctri.nic.in/Clinicaltrials/rmaindet.php?trialid=89771&EncHid=39880.12369&modid=1&compid=19.

"Red flags" during pregnancy-skin symptoms and their causes during pregnancy

Pregnancy is aspecial state for the expectant mother. Not only is ahuman being growing, but the pregnant woman's body is also constantly changing during the 40-week pregnancy. One organ that is frequently affected by these changes is the skin. As diagnosis and treatment during pregnancy can present treating physicians with particular challenges, it is important to know the relevant pregnancy dermatoses, to recognize and diagnose them reliably, and to observe red flags in order to protect the pregnant women and the unborn child. In this article, the most important changes in the skin of pregnant patients are explained and potential warning signs are presented. In addition to aspects of altered pigmentation, the influence of pregnancy on pre-existing inflammatory dermatoses and their improvement or worsening is also described. The occurrence of so-called specific pregnancy dermatoses over the course of pregnancy is also explained. Finally, the extent to which autoimmune diseases of the mother can also affect the unborn child and to what extent skin changes in the newborn can indicate adisease of the mother are described. The respective "red flags" are presented as leading symptoms and their relevance is discussed.

Navigating pregnancy and scholarship: Exploring positionality, reflexivity, and intersectionality in research

The paper highlights the crucial role of positionality and reflexivity in understanding knowledge creation and research processes, drawing on my experience as a pregnant woman conducting semi-structured interviews with policy elites. Previous literature has acknowledged the impact of appearance and gender on the research process. By employing an adapted self-presentation technique during the interviews, observable effects on the research process were noted. This paper shares my observations as a researcher before and after disclosing my pregnancy. Participant reactions revealed clashes in expectations, worldviews, and meanings within the interviews’ initial moments. The positive experience demonstrated that pregnancy facilitated access to policy elites, recruitment of additional interviewees, and initiated meaningful dialogues, shedding light on the role of positionality and reflexivity in fieldwork. My open vulnerability, transparency in disclosing personal information, and accessibility enhanced participant reciprocity and diminished perceived threats, fostering engaging and profound conversations. These findings underscore how the distinctive attributes of the pregnant body—consciousness, vulnerability, power, and fluidity—significantly influence key methodological aspects, shaping the epistemological process of knowledge creation.

:The Reproduction of Inequality: How Class Shapes the Pregnant Body and Infant Health

:<i>The Reproduction of Inequality: How Class Shapes the Pregnant Body and Infant Health</i>

HUBUNGAN ANTARA ANEMIA DAN INDEKS MASA TUBUH IBU HAMIL TERHADAP KEJADIAN STUNTING PADA ANAK: LITERATURE REVIEW

There are many factors that cause stunting, including anemia. Pregnant women who experience anemia have a reduced oxygen supply to their body cells and brain. In general, anemia in pregnant women is caused by a lack of nutrition, a lack of iron in the food consumed, poor absorption, and chronic diseases (such as tuberculosis, lung, intestinal worms, and malaria). The body mass index of pregnant women is another cause of stunting. Mothers who are short (height &lt;150 cm) and thin (body mass index &lt;18.5 kg/m2) have a greater risk of birthing stunting babies than mothers who have good nutritional status. In addition to macronutrient problems, micronutrient deficiencies in pregnant women need attention. The objective of this study is to determine the relationship between anaemia and body mass index of pregnant women on the incidence of stunting in children, through a literature review. We used the literature review method with 15 journals, 10 international journals, and 5 national journals. The literature review analysis revealed a correlation between anaemia and body mass index in pregnant women and the incidence of stunting. The condition of anaemia in the mother during pregnancy will affect the metabolism of the foetus to be not optimal because there is a lack of haemoglobin levels to bind oxygen so that the adequacy of nutritional intake while in the womb is low and has an impact on foetal growth, which results in low birth weight and length. There is a relationship between anemia and pregnant women's body mass index in terms of stunting incidence.

PEMBERIAN GEL (ALOEVERA) TERHADAP STRETCH MARK PADA IBU POST PARTUM

According to the International Federation of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, pregnancy is defined as fertilization or the union of sperm and ovum at subsequent nidation or implantation. During pregnancy, a pregnant woman's body experiences physiological changes due to the secretion of the hormones somatomamotropin, estrogen, and progesterone by the placenta. This affects the physiological changes in the entire female reproductive system which can support the development and growth of the fetus in the womb. Especially in dark areas, due to the influence of melanophore-stimulating hormones. The aim of this research was to determine the effect of giving aloe vera gel to post partum mothers. This research method is a type of descriptive research with a case study approach. The sample was 1 post partum mother who was given gel (Aloevera) for stretch marks. By using a measurement observation sheet with OSAS (Observer Scar Assessment Scale). The results of giving Gel (Aloevera) to post partum mothers showed an effect on stretch marks, before giving it a score of 0 (real), after 1 week of treatment there was fading of the stretch marks score 1 (faint), so it can be concluded that giving Gel (Aloevera) effective against stretch marks in post partum mothers

Personhood Begins at Birth: The Rational Foundation for Abortion Policyin a Secular State.

The struggle over legal abortion access in the United States is a religious controversy, not a scientific debate. Religious activists who believe that meaningful individual life (i.e., "personhood") begins at a specific "moment-of-conception" are attempting to pass laws that force this view upon all pregnant persons, irrespective of their medical circumstances, individual preferences, or personal religious beliefs. This paper argues that such actions promote a constitutionally prohibited "establishment of religion." Abortion policy in a secular state must be based upon scientifically accurate biology, not unprovable theological presuppositions. The scientific facts regarding human pregnancy do not support the position that personhood begins with fertilization-at which point a pregnancy does not yet even exist. Abortion policy should regard the embryo/fetus as part of the pregnant individual's body until delivery. We argue that individual "personhood" only begins when the latent potentialities of the fetal nervous system are actualized in the newborn after delivery. The paper argues that instantiating non-scientific beliefs concerning embryonic/fetal "personhood" into the law as the basis for abortion policy establishes a state-sponsored religion. The protection of religious liberty requires that abortion be decriminalized. Abortion should be treated like any other medical procedure and regulated similarly. To protect both religious freedom and sound medical practice, individual legal personhood should be recognized as beginning only at birth.

Developing a new measure of retrospective body dissatisfaction: links to postnatal bonding and psychological well-being

ABSTRACT Background Pregnancy is a transformative time for women and their bodies, and therefore thoughts and feelings about the body understandably change during this period. While previous research has established the impact of body dissatisfaction on factors like antenatal attachment and maternal mental health, there is a notable gap in understanding its long-term effects on postnatal factors. This is often due to high attrition rates in longitudinal studies. Using retrospective measures could address this issue, however a measure of retrospective pregnant body dissatisfaction has not yet been identified. Aims This paper aimed to create a retrospective measure of pregnancy body dissatisfaction by adapting a previously validated measure. It also aimed to investigate the relationship between retrospective accounts of body dissatisfaction during pregnancy and postnatal anxiety, depression, and bonding. Method Cross-sectional online survey data was collected from women postnatally (N = 404). Findings An exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis identified a two-factor model of retrospective body dissatisfaction, adapted from the Body Understanding Measure for Pregnancy Scale, which was equivalent to two of the original subscales. Using this factor structure, linear regressions demonstrated that higher levels of retrospective pregnant body dissatisfaction were associated with elevated rates of postnatal anxiety and depression and lower bonding scores. Conclusions This study successfully established a measure for assessing retrospective pregnant body dissatisfaction, potentially aiding future research. Additionally, it has highlighted the link between pregnant body dissatisfaction and postnatal levels of depression, anxiety, and bonding. Thus, improving the pregnant bodily experience may have the potential to enhance the postnatal experience.

Obstetrics during the French Revolution: political and medical controversies around the new obstetrical surgery

ABSTRACT During the French Revolution, obstetrics underwent substantial transformations in practice, teaching, and the physical spaces where it was conducted. The revolutionary authorities implemented reforms in French medical institutions that promoted an instrument-centred style and the dissemination of novel surgical techniques in obstetrics. The selection of professors for the obstetrics chair at the newly established École de santé and the appointment of chiefs for the new maternity ward in Paris favoured proponents of a mechanistic approach to labour assistance. This essay explores the theoretical principles and societal pressures that guided these transformative reforms and the remarkable changes they introduced in healthcare and in the practise of medicine and surgery. Furthermore, it examines the consolidation of new epistemological, ethical, and professional boundaries within the context of late eighteenth-century French obstetrics. A critical section of this study focuses on the debate ignited by the contemporaries who voiced concerns that the rise of surgical interventions on pregnant women's bodies might result in unwarranted violence, in a diminishing of midwives’ roles, and in a departure from the tradition of natural childbirth. These controversies among obstetricians highlight significant contradictions within the Revolutionary medical reforms.

‘The finny subject of the sea’: Thaisa's pregnant embodiment and (non)maternal identity in Pericles

Inspired by Stacy Alaimo's notion of transcorporality, this article reconsiders multivalent aquatic womb imagery, Thaisa's pregnant embodiment and her (non)maternal identity in Pericles. As argued, the play offers an inconsistent portrayal of pregnancy and maternity. Thaisa's pregnant body – a fluid aquatic economy – is prominently displayed onstage, while her labour described by Gower and Pericles remains the play's climax. Yet, the birth at sea and Thaisa's ‘terrible childbed’ communicate anxieties over maternal powers. Neither her maternal identity nor her maternal authority takes shape in the play, signalling early modern culture's unease with pregnant bodies that do not follow normative, patriarchal scripts.

The experience of miscarriage and its impact on prenatal attachment during the following pregnancy: A mixed-methods study

BackgroundIn France, miscarriage affects nearly 200,000 women every year. This life event may generate negative effects on the mother-child relationship and the mother's mental health in the following pregnancy. ObjectivesTo investigate the influence of body satisfaction, partner support, resilience and previous experience of a miscarriage on prenatal attachment in pregnant women. DesignThis is a cross-sectional mixed-methods study. Women answered an online questionnaire in the period between November 2022 to April 2023. Participants267 French pregnant women who had previously experienced a miscarriage were recruited for this study. MeasurementsStudy outcomes included prenatal attachment, resilience, partner support, history of previous pregnancies and miscarriages, the current pregnancy, and questions relating to body experience. FindingsParticipants who reported a high investment in the current pregnancy, high partner support and a positive image of their body had higher levels of prenatal attachment. The experience of miscarriage also seems to influence prenatal attachment: pregnancy investment at the time of miscarriage had a positive influence, while medical experience had no significant impact. While the global resilience score was not related to prenatal attachment, sense of control was positively linked to prenatal attachment. Key conclusions and implications for practiceThese results highlight the importance of considering miscarriage as a perinatal loss with potential for long-lasting impact on women, which deserves particular attention from professionals. Enhancing partner support and helping women build a positive image of their pregnant body can also have a role in fostering prenatal attachment to the foetus.

Birth Figures: Early Modern Prints and the Pregnant Body, written by Rebecca Whiteley

Birth Figures: Early Modern Prints and the Pregnant Body, written by Rebecca Whiteley

Antiplatelet Drugs Use in Pregnancy-Review of the Current Practice and Future Implications.

When clinicians opt for antithrombotic therapy to manage or prevent thrombotic complications during pregnancy, it is imperative to consider the unique physiological state of the pregnant woman's body, which can influence the pharmacokinetics of the drug, its ability to traverse the placental barrier, and its potential teratogenic effects on the fetus. While the efficacy and safety of aspirin during pregnancy have been relatively well-established through numerous clinical studies, understanding the effects of newer, more potent antiplatelet agents has primarily stemmed from individual clinical case reports necessitating immediate administration of potent antiplatelet therapy during pregnancy. This review consolidates the collective experiences of clinicians confronting novel thrombotic complications during pregnancy, often requiring the use of dual antiplatelet therapy. The utilization of potent antiplatelet therapy carries inherent risks of bleeding, posing threats to both the pregnant woman and the fetus, as well as the potential for teratogenic effects on the fetus. In the absence of official guidelines regarding the use of potent antiplatelet drugs in pregnancy, a plethora of cases have demonstrated the feasibility of preventing recurrent thrombotic complications, mitigating bleeding risks, and successfully managing pregnancies, frequently culminating in cesarean deliveries, through meticulous selection and dosing of antiplatelet medications.

The silent shift: Pregnant women doing aesthetic and emotional labor at work

AbstractAlthough the U.S. Pregnancy Discrimination Act protects people from discrimination, there remain risks for individuals who become pregnant while working. Therefore, many choose to stay quiet about their pregnancies before beginning to show. Doing so, however, requires a constant management of appearance and behavior that feels necessary for employment. To investigate how pregnant people manage occupational settings while growing visibly pregnant, I draw on data from interviews with 54 women in the U.S. who were employed during their pregnancy. Findings reveal that efforts to manage the pregnant body are both aesthetic and emotional, and they constitute a form of unpaid labor that I term the “silent shift.” The silent shift encompasses two types of labor: the labor of concealing and the labor of dealing. Concealing—typically done during the first trimester—involves trying to strategically hide a pregnancy from co‐workers through alterations to work attire (i.e., aesthetic labor) or behavioral changes, such as napping in the office or discretely running to the bathroom. When concealing was no longer an option, pregnant women had to deal with awkward comments from co‐workers about their bodies. In these instances, women employed emotional labor to keep silent about how such remarks made them feel by suppressing negative emotions, rationalizing co‐workers’ comments, or by laughing them off. These findings suggest that even though laws and institutional policies have created space for pregnant workers, there remains a tension between the professional and pregnant body—a tension that women themselves feel compelled to manage.

임신중지, 영화, 정동정치

Since the late 2010s, when the Black Protests were sparked in Korea (September 2016) and the Constitutional Court of Korea ruled that criminalizing abortion is unconstitutional (April 2019), contemporarily and internationally produced films, series and documentaries focusing on abortion have been actively introduced to the Korean public alongside with the popularisation of global OTT services. Most of them explicitly or implicitly support women's choice and the right to abort, but they often perpetuate the suffering, shame, and victimization of women who undergo abortions. For exemple, they make maternal grief inseparable from the pregnant body, embody the excruciating physical suffering of the protagonist’s abortion to the point of making the audience shudder, or keep the protagonist (slut-)shamed, without cause, throughout the story of abortion experience. Erica Millar puts ‘emotion’ at the center of abortion politics, criticizing the politics of ‘choice’, whether anti-abortion or pro-choice, for naturalizing, depoliticizing, and normalizing desperation, grief, and shame as the experience of abortion. This article extends her ideas into the dimension of ‘affect’ and, building on Brian Massumi's discussion of politics of affect, explores affect via film, how anti-abortion power operates and the cinematic practices that resist it.

“This isn’t a high-risk body”: Reframing Risk and Reducing Weight Stigma in Midwifery Practice

This article investigates the standards of care for fat recipients of midwifery care through a lens that questions common risk-focused narratives related to fat pregnant bodies. Throughout this article, we use the term "fat" rather than "obese" or "overweight". We avoid the language of obese/overweight because these medicalized terms are used to stigmatize fat people. Working from a fat liberation standpoint involves reclaiming the word “fat” as a morally-neutral descriptive term for larger bodies. Drawing on data from a research project exploring weight stigma during pregnancy care, we present findings from eleven interviews with fat parents including those who identify as women or transmen who accessed midwifery care during their pregnancy and/or childbirth experiences. Participants had both positive and negative experiences with midwives, often within the same care relationship. Related to weight specifically, many participants reported that midwives focused on the risk factors often associated with being fat while pregnant, even when their clients did not display signs of these risks. We discuss how practitioners—particularly midwives—might shift away from an anti-obesity, risk-based narrative. Instead, practitioners might acknowledge the potential risks of fatness during pregnancy while simultaneously honouring fat individuals' embodied realities and treating fat clients with respect to facilitate positive pregnancy and birthing experiences. This article has been peer reviewed.

Deviating from the Norm? The Pregnant Body in Scandinavian Health Law

Abstract This article explores how the political ideal of data interacts with the legal entitlement of autonomy in the care of pregnant people guided by feminist theory and critical approaches to data. Using Scandinavian legislation and administrative practice, it analyses how the presence or absence of data, namely scientific evidence, interacts with pregnant people’s legal autonomy in healthcare. Data –particularly scientific evidence - is shown as something that is not neutral but open to interpretation and misappropriation. First, administrative complaints illustrate that not only a lack of scientific studies on pregnant people but also patriarchal attitudes have implications for care. Second, Scandinavian legislation authorizes the involuntary detention of pregnant drug users despite an absence of evidence supporting such drastic actions. Third, complaints bodies are found to frame injury to pregnant bodies as a natural consequence of birth, despite clear evidence as to the duties of healthcare professionals in preventing harm. A relational approach that sees the pregnant body and fetus as integrated though quintessentially unequal is needed. Evidence is not the only answer; an approach that recognizes the dignity of pregnant people must be central. This requires eliminating coercion, recognizing the pregnant patient as the decision maker in healthcare choices and prizing the birthing patient’s voice as a valuable data source.

A Study of Fluid Intake, Hydration Status, and Body Composition of Pregnant Women in Their Third Trimester, and Relationships with Their Infant's Birth Weight in China: A Prospective Cohort Study.

Water intake and hydration status may potentially influence maternal and child health. However, there is little research regarding this topic. This study aimed to investigate pregnant women's total fluid intake (TFI) levels, hydration status, and body composition and further explore their relationship with infant birth weight. A 7-day, 24 h fluid intake recorded was applied to determine participants' TFI levels. Morning urine samples were collected and tested to evaluate their hydration status. Maternal body compositions in their third trimester and infant birth weights were measured. A total of 380 participants completed the study. The TFI was insufficient for pregnant women during their third trimester (median = 1574 mL), with only 12.1% of participants meeting the recommended adequate fluid intake level for pregnant women living in China (1.7 L per day). With the increasing TFI values, the urine osmolality decreased, which showed statistical significance among the four groups (χ2 = 22.637, p < 0.05). The participants displayed a poor hydration status. Meanwhile, the percentage of participants who were in dehydrated status decreased (χ2 = 67.618, p < 0.05), while body water content and basal metabolic rate increased with the increase in TFI levels (χ2 = 20.784, p < 0.05; χ2 = 14.026, p < 0.05). There were positive linear relationships between plain water intake, the basal metabolic rate of pregnant women and their infant birth weight (SE = 0.153, p < 0.05; SE = 0.076, p < 0.05). Water intake was insufficient, and poor hydration status was common among pregnant women in China. There may be potential relationships between plain water intake, basal metabolic rate, and infant birth weight.

The Effect of Fear of COVID-19 on the Birth Preferences of Pregnant Women

Deciding on the mode of birth related to the pregnant woman's own body will increase her self-confidence. It will reduce the anxiety caused by the adverse conditions caused by the pandemic process. It was aimed to examine the effect of fear of COVID-19 on the birth preferences of pregnant women.&#x0D; A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted between January and April 2021 with 631 pregnant women who were followed up in an crowded pandemic hospital in Turkey. The data were obtained through the Google online platform, the Questionnaire Form and the COVID-19 Fear Scale.&#x0D; This study 50.7% of the pregnant women gave vaginal birth before the COVID-19 pandemic, while 75.3% preferred vaginal birth during the pandemic. When the table is examined, the mother's fear of COVID-19 increased her choice of delivery method 96%.&#x0D; According to the findings of this study, fear of COVID-19 affected birth choice.

A Study on the Impact of Environmental Awareness on Sustainable Consumption Behavior in Maternity Wear

With the relaxation of China’s birth policies and the dual independence gained by Chinese women in both mental and economic aspects, maternity wear, as an essential item for pregnant women, has an enormous design space and a growing consumer market, attracting increasing attention from all quarters [1]. However, due to the continuous changes in pregnant womens body shapes and the fact that most women need to continue working and socializing during the early and middle stages of pregnancy [2], maternity wear has a short wearing cycle and rapid turnover [3] leading to the current unsustainable consumption of maternity wear. This study aims to explore the impact of environmental awareness on the sustainable consumption behavior of maternity wear. Specifically, the study objective is to use Grounded Theory to analyze sustainability issues within maternity wear consumption and identify the factors and stages influencing sustainable consumption behavior through online searches for relevant reports and comments. We address 2 research questions. RQ1: How to improve the sustainability of maternity wear to reduce unsustainable consumption? RQ2: How does environmental awareness influence sustainable consumption behavior in maternity wear? This article, based on Grounded Theory, to ensure the timeliness of comments and reports, conducted sample data collection from 2019 to 2022. We conducted searches using keywords such as “sustainable maternity wear,” “ecofriendly maternity wear,” “sustainable fashion,” “maternity wear consumption,” and “postpartum clothing consumption.” We obtained a total of 1086 relevant articles and materials. After careful screening, we narrowed down our searches and organized 45 feasible textual materials for our study. Through online searches for relevant reports and comments regarding sustainable consumption of maternity wear, it identified consciousness-related influencing factors and three stages of sustainable maternity wear consumption behavior. Furthermore, it proposed reference recommendations for promoting sustainable consumption of maternity wear through management practices.&#x0D; Keywords: environmental awareness, maternity wear, sustainability, consumer behavior, grounded theory