Clinics in Mother and Child Health

Pregnancy Acceptability and Maternal Mental Health

Mitchell Alpine^* Department of Clinical Pharmacology and Aged Care, Sydney Medical School, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
^*Correspondence: Mitchell Alpine, Department of Clinical Pharmacology and Aged Care, Sydney Medical School, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia, Email:

Received: 01-Sep-2022, Manuscript No. CMCH-22-18381; Editor assigned: 05-Sep-2022, Pre QC No. CMCH-22-18381 (PQ); Reviewed: 19-Sep-2022, QC No. CMCH-22-18381; Revised: 26-Sep-2022, Manuscript No. CMCH-22-18381 (R); Published: 03-Oct-2022, DOI: 10.35248/2090-7214.22.19.425

About the Study

Pregnancy is a time of significant emotional, physical, identity, and relationship changes that are heavily influenced by each woman's unique situation. Finding out about a pregnancy can be extremely gratifying for some women. Others may experience shock, surprise, or ambivalence, as well as fear and grief. The term "pregnancy acceptability" is used to describe how she feels and thinks about the pregnancy. The idea of pregnancy acceptability seeks to describe how a woman feels about the timing and attractiveness of getting pregnant after fertilization. According to the pregnancy intendedness model, pregnancies can be classified as intended, unintended, or mistimed, with the last two categories creating a general category known as "unintended" pregnancy.

According to international studies, 40% of pregnancies that result in birth are unplanned, as are around half of all pregnancies. Unwanted pregnancies are linked to missed prenatal appointments, mothers engaging in less healthpromoting behavior during their pregnancies, and a higher chance of newborn special care requirements, breastfeeding challenges, and behavioral and mental health issues in children. Due of these factors, the nature of women's pregnancies whether intentional or not has received consistent study focus during the past 20 years. However, other studies have not shown any conclusive results. Some research has found that women with unwanted pregnancies find it more difficult to form a bond with their infant and maintain good mental health during pregnancy.

Although the difference between intentional and unintended pregnancies is simple, it has also been targeted for oversimplifying the complications of pregnancy. The intendedness concept ignores situations in which a pregnancy may not be planned but is welcomed and forces assumptions about women's reproductive choices when planning does not take place. The degree to which women view their pregnancy as "acceptable" after conception is known as pregnancy acceptability. It considers a woman's assessment of the pregnancy's attractiveness and timing, the consistency between her objectives for becoming pregnant and her behaviors connected to fertility, as well as the variety of emotions she feels upon learning of the pregnancy. The paradigm for assessing pregnancy acceptability recognizes that a woman's objectives and feelings regarding her pregnancy may be complex and inconsistent.

This aspect of the model is supported by empirical research, which indicates that 68% of women describe their unintended pregnancy as "wanted" and that women report positive aspects of their unintended pregnancy, such as an improvement in their partner's relationship, an appreciation of their resilience, and avoiding waiting for the "perfect time" to have a baby. According to a recent study, stable relationships, a sense of readiness and parental capacity, and a flexible approach to family planning are all variables that couples consider when determining whether or not their pregnancy is acceptable. Pregnancy symbolizes the beginning of the mother-infant relationship and lays the groundwork for all future interactions between them, as does the emotional link that develops between them. Cranley coined the term "antenatal bonding," which was originally known as "maternal foetal attachment," to refer to the behaviors pregnant women exhibited that indicated a desire to communicate with and develop a bond with their unborn child.