Feelings and the need for information and counselling of expectant parents of twins

Conséquences psychologiques des naissances multiples

Since the mid 1970s, the number of multiple births has dramatically increased in our country and most European countries. This paper summarizes the psychological consequences of multiple births based on a review of the literature and on our clinical experience. During pregnancy mothers experience great physical problems linked with increased medical risks for themselves and for the children. These risks cause psychological difficulties: hospitalisation and separation from the family, fear of a premature delivery and anxiety for the children. After delivery the children are often hospitalized, which makes the attachment process difficult. The mortality of multiple children is high and mourning for one child creates particular problems for parents who simultaneously face grieving and attachment processes. After hospital discharge, the overload of work mothers experience leads to physical and nervous fatigue, which does not make easier individual relationship with the children. Mothers have a high level of psychological vulnerability and an increased risk of depression. The satisfactory development of each twin or triplet child requires individualized relationship with his/her mother and his/her father. That is how he/she will be able to build his/her identity and future autonomy. It is important to be aware of the problems experienced by the families and to improve the way material help and psychological support are provided to them.

The seeking of baby-feeding information by Canadian women pregnant with twins

OBJECTIVE

To analyse baby-feeding information needs and seeking described by Canadian women pregnant with twins.

DESIGN

Qualitative; data were collected by in-depth semi-structured interviews. Transcripts provided the data for discourse analysis of the use of two interpretative repertoires.

SETTING

Ontario, Canada.

PARTICIPANTS

19 women pregnant with twins.

MEASUREMENTS AND FINDINGS

The first interpretative repertoire represented caring for twins as fundamentally distinct from caring for singly born babies, and therefore emphasised the commonality of mothers of twins regardless of their background or situation. The second highlighted the uniqueness and individuality of each person. These repertoires intersect with discourses of baby feeding and good mothering, resulting in a complex discursive interplay of similarity and difference, commonality and individuality, information seeking, baby feeding and good mothering. Participants used the two interpretative repertoires to (1) frame information needs; (2) construct complex accounts of the biomedical, experiential and personalised authority of information sources; (3) describe the helpfulness of information sources independent of their authority; and (4) describe the barriers encountered in the finding appropriate sources of baby-feeding information in pregnancy.

IMPLICATIONS

Understanding and respecting the discursive constructions of pregnancy and mothering can help practitioners understand the complex discursive interplay underlying participants' baby-feeding decisions, and may facilitate more sensitive support for women's individual needs and understandings.