Mental health articles

Experience of pregnancy and past obstetric history
The experience of adverse pregnancy and past obstetric history is potentially a risk factor for the ongoing mental health of most parents who have had a
premature or sick infant. Often, with women who have a premature birth, there
have been past terminations or miscarriages of previous pregnancies. A number
are associated with fertility assistance. Sometimes, the disruption or loss of the previous pregnancy has been so traumatic, associated with serious illness in the
mother, that the mother’s capacity for connecting with her live infant is delayed
or seriously disrupted. In other situations, the trauma is put aside and resurfaces
when the mother is pregnant with another baby.
Some abnormalities are identified in utero; for example, a history of
polyhydramnios in the pregnancy indicates the likelihood of tracheooesophageal
fistula in the newborn. Identification of a problem in utero cements
an anxiety often experienced by pregnant women, that of having a disabled
child. This knowledge, with its uncertainty of outcome, may interfere with the
work of emotionally preparing for the baby. In addition, the mother is often
hospitalised for several weeks prior to the birth of the baby, interfering with the
relationship between the couple and the physical preparation for the baby.