PURPOSE: This study was done to investigate the predictors of maternal confidence between primipara and multipara mothers. METHODS: The participants enrolled in this study were 145 mothers between 2 and 5 days postpartum. Data were collected using a questionnaire and analyzed using descriptive analysis, t-test, chi2 test, ANOVA, Pearson correlation coefficients, and stepwise multiple regression. RESULTS: The predictors of maternal confidence among primipara mothers were social support, self-esteem, mode of delivery (R2=.287, p<.001). Whereas, gender of baby, antenatal fetal attachment, and educational status explained maternal confidence among multipara mothers (R2=.270, p<.001). CONCLUSION: The results indicate that when nurses develop programs to encourage maternal confidence for new mothers, they should take into account the differences between predictors of maternal confidence according to the mothers' experience of birth.
Educational Status ; Female ; Humans ; Maternal Behavior ; Maternal-Fetal Relations ; Mothers ; Parity ; Parturition ; Postpartum Period ; Child Health ; Surveys and Questionnaires

PURPOSE: The purpose of this descriptive survey study was designed to identify the stress coping types of married immigrant pregnant women and find out the differences in maternal-fetal attachment and maternal identity based on each types. METHODS: 151 married immigrant women who visited 3 women's hospitals located in J-do for pre-pregnancy checkup were selected as study objects. Data were analyzed by dsecriptive statistics, cluster analysis, t- test, ANOVA, and Scheffe multiple comparison test. RESULTS: Cluster analysis revealed 4 distinct stress coping styles; low stress-coping involvement social support-oriented type, high stress-coping involvement hopeful thinking type, low stress-coping involvement type, effective stress coping types. Women frequently using effective stress coping type among the four types reported higher maternal-fetal attachment. The group of active coping styles got significantly higher score on maternal identity. CONCLUSION: Proper stress coping of married immigrant pregnant women regarding pregnancies proved to result in high levels of maternal-fetal attachment and maternal identity. Studies measuring the stress coping styles that affect pregnancies should be continuously conducted.
Emigrants and Immigrants ; Emigration and Immigration* ; Female ; Hope ; Humans ; Maternal-Fetal Relations ; Pregnancy* ; Pregnant Women ; Thinking

Female ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Infant, Newborn, Diseases ; etiology ; genetics ; Maternal-Fetal Relations

PURPOSE: Prenatal depression is associated with potential negative consequences for the mother and infant. The purpose of this study was to examine pregnant women's stress, and depression and their impact on maternal-fetal attachment and fetal growth. METHODS: Data were collected by means of a questionnaire and fetal sonogram from a convenience sample of 166 pregnant women. RESULTS: Women who have a low educational level, poor health and are dissatisfied with their marriage showed low maternal-fetal attachment. Prenatal depression had significant correlations with length of pregnancy and level of stress. Even though correlation between maternal stress and fetal weight (r=-.15, p=.099) and correlation between maternal depression and maternal-fetal attachment (r=-.13, p=.095) were not statistically significant, the impact of the prenatal psychological state of mothers can not be ignored as it relates to fetal health. CONCLUSION: Maternal-fetal attachment and fetal growth can be affected by maternal emotional state, including stress or depression. These findings suggest that primary care nurses in hospitals and public health centers should provide prenatal depression screening and nursing intervention programs for management and prevention of prenatal stress and depression.
*Depression ; Female ; Fetal Development/*physiology ; Health Status ; Humans ; Maternal-Fetal Relations/psychology ; Mothers/*psychology ; Pregnancy ; Questionnaires ; *Stress, Psychological ; Ultrasonography, Prenatal

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to explore the effects of a Taegyo program on parents-fetal attachment and parenthood in first pregnancy couples (mothers and spouses). METHODS: The research design was a nonequivalent control group pretest-posttest experiment. Study participants were 52 first pregnancy couples visiting two medium-scale obstetrics and gynecology clinics located in Gwangju. A total of 52 couples were assigned to the experimental group (25 couples) and the control group (27 couples). The experimental couples were provided with a Taegyo program for 4 weeks. Data were analyzed by chi square test, t-test, and ANCOVA using the SPSS program. RESULTS: Post-treatment maternal-fetal attachment, paternal-fetal attachment and motherhood significantly increased in the experimental group as compared to the control group, but post-treatment fatherhood, anxiety, blood pressure and pulse of participants in the experimental group showed no significant difference from those in the control group. CONCLUSION: From these results, it is suggested that the Taegyo program has beneficial effects in enhancing parent-fetal attachment and motherhood in first pregnancy couples. Therefore, a Taegyo program can be recommended as a nursing intervention program for first pregnancy couples.
Adult ; Anxiety ; Blood Pressure ; Female ; Heart Rate ; Humans ; Male ; Maternal-Fetal Relations ; Mothers/*psychology ; Parents/*psychology ; *Patient Education as Topic ; Pregnancy

PURPOSE: Maternal-fetal attachment in a pregnant woman is important for her health and for her child's emotional stability. This study was done to identify the contribution of maternal fatigue, social support, and Taegyo to maternal-fetal attachment based on a survey of pregnant women. METHODS: The study was a descriptive correlation study. Participants were 211 from two women's health clinic centers. Data were analyzed using t-test, ANOVA, Pearson correlation coefficients and stepwise multiple regression. RESULTS: Mean scores for maternal-fetal attachment, Taegyo, maternal fatigue, and social support were 93.74 (range 25-125), 64.76 (17-85), 24.12 (10-40), and 54.43 (22-132), respectively. There were significant differences in maternal-fetal attachment according to parity, breast feeding experience, and putting prenatal education into practice. Multiple regression analysis showed that the key determinants of maternal-fetal attachment, were Taegyo (beta=.67), maternal fatigue (beta=.21), and social support (beta=.13), and these explained 55% of the total variance of attachment. CONCLUSION: The results suggest a need to encourage Taegyo in prenatal management program and provide methods for fatigue resolution and promotion of social support.
Breast Feeding ; Fatigue* ; Female ; Humans ; Maternal-Fetal Relations ; Parity ; Pregnancy* ; Pregnant Women ; Prenatal Care ; Prenatal Education ; Statistics as Topic ; Women's Health

PURPOSE: This study was conducted to examine the relationships among the perceptions and practice of taegyo (a traditional set of practices and beliefs related to healthy fetal development) and maternal-fetal attachment in pregnant women.METHODS: The participants were 136 pregnant women who visited a public health center or maternity hospital for prenatal care. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, the t-test, analysis of varience, and Pearson correlation coefficients with SPSS version 22.0.RESULTS: The mean age of the pregnant women was 32.24±3.99 years. The mean scores for perceptions of taegyo, practice of taegyo, and maternal-fetal attachment were 3.96±0.53, 3.74±0.64, and 3.94±0.49, respectively. Perceptions of taegyo were significantly correlated with the practice of taegyo (r=.72, p<.001), and maternal-fetal attachment (r=.55, p<.001). A significant correlation was also found between the practice of taegyo and maternal-fetal attachment (r=.65, p<.001).CONCLUSION: Perceptions of taegyo affected the practice of taegyo, and had a positive effect on maternal-fetal attachment. These findings suggest that primary care nurses at hospitals and public health centers should provide nursing intervention programs to improve the perceptions of taegyo, the practice of taegyo, and maternal-fetal attachment.
Female ; Hospitals, Maternity ; Humans ; Maternal-Fetal Relations ; Nursing ; Pregnant Women ; Prenatal Care ; Primary Health Care ; Public Health

PURPOSE: The main purposes of this study were to assess maternal-fetal attachment (MFA) of the expectant mothers of a fetus with a prenatal diagnosis of congenital heart disease (CHD) and to identify factors associated with MFA. METHODS: The methodology was a cross sectional survey study using a self-administered questionnaire. Thirty pregnant women carrying a fetus with a prenatal diagnosis of CHD and 30 pregnant women with a normal fetus were enrolled in this study. The MFA Scale and PPS (The Prenatal Psychosocial Profile) were used to collect data. Data were analyzed using SPSS 20.0 Window version. Descriptive statistics, chi2-test and t-test were used to compare the two groups. The factors associated with MFA were identified by multiple regression analysis. RESULTS: There was no significant difference between the two groups in MFA and social support from spouse was the only variable showing a significant difference. The model from the multiple regression analysis explained 33.8% of MFA for both groups. CONCLUSION: MFA of expectant mothers with a prenatal diagnosis of CHD and of mothers with a normal fetus were not significantly different. It is important that health care providers encourage expectant fathers to support the expectant mothers to increase MFA.
Cross-Sectional Studies ; Fathers ; Female ; Fetus ; Health Personnel ; Heart ; Heart Diseases ; Humans ; Lifting ; Maternal-Fetal Relations ; Mothers ; Pregnant Women ; Prenatal Diagnosis ; Spouses ; Child Health ; Surveys and Questionnaires

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to identify factors influencing maternal identity of Korean primiparas. METHODS: The data were collected by a self-report questionnaire in 2006. The participants were 210 healthy primiparous women who delivered at one of three medical centers and revisited the outpatient department for follow up between 4 to 6 weeks after childbirth. Data were analyzed using the SPSS WIN 17.0 program with descriptive statistics, t-test, one way ANOVA, Pearson correlation coefficient, and stepwise multiple regression. RESULTS: Maternal identity was significantly correlated with Taekyo accomplishment, the culturally based prenatal preparation (p<.001). Transitional gratification to motherhood (p<.001), postpartum depression (p<.001), childcare stress (p<.001), infant temperament (p<.001), and social support (p<.001) were also significantly correlated with maternal identity. The stepwise multiple regression analysis showed that maternal identity was significantly predicted by transitional gratification to motherhood, infant temperament, childcare stress, and Taekyo accomplishment. These variables explained 31.0% of the variance of maternal identity. CONCLUSION: The results of this study suggest that postpartum nursing interventions to promote maternal identity should focus on reinforcing education and support for reducing childcare stress and infant difficulty, and increasing transitional gratification to motherhood. Also, prenatal encouragement and education for improving Taekyo accomplishment may be helpful to promote maternal identity after birth.
Adult ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Depression, Postpartum ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; *Maternal Behavior ; Maternal-Fetal Relations ; Parturition ; Questionnaires ; Regression Analysis ; Republic of Korea ; Self Concept ; Social Support ; Stress, Psychological ; Temperament

In medicine, it is the physician's obligation to promote and protect the patient's interest. In obstetrics, the ethical principles of beneficence and autonomy provide the fundamental framework which guides the management of all pregnant patients. As there is the need for consideration of the fetus, autonomy can become a complex issue giving rise to what is sometimes called "maternal-fetal conflict." In this paper, we aim to discuss some scenarios we encounter in our day-to-day obstetric practice such as pre-eclampsia, fetal growth restriction and labour induction when the best interests of the mother and fetus may be conflicted. We hope to illustrate that logical consideration for maternal and fetal best interests is only possible when there is adequate knowledge to support clinical practice. Certainly, with the rapid availability of newer knowledge and technology, it is the duty of the physician to be educated continuously so as to protect the patient from harm.
Beneficence ; Clinical Competence ; Conflict (Psychology) ; Ethics, Medical ; Female ; Fetal Growth Retardation ; Fetus ; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice ; Humans ; Maternal Welfare ; Maternal-Fetal Relations ; Obstetrics ; ethics ; methods ; Patient Care ; ethics ; Patient Rights ; Personal Autonomy ; Physician-Patient Relations ; ethics ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Complications ; Prenatal Diagnosis