When Your Pregnancy Echoes Your Illness: Transition to Motherhood With Inflammatory Bowel Disease

• Published in: Qualitative health research Vol. 28; no. 8; pp. 1283 - 1294
• Main Authors: Ghorayeb, Jihane, Branney, Peter, Selinger, Christian P., Madill, Anna
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Los Angeles, CA SAGE Publications 01.07.2018; SAGE PUBLICATIONS, INC
• Subjects: Health technology assessment; Inflammatory bowel disease; Interdisciplinary aspects; Lifestyles; Medical personnel; Mothers; Postpartum period; Pregnancy; Qualitative research; Transitions; Women; Womens health; thematic analysis; chronic illness; qualitative; pregnancy; United Kingdom; motherhood; inflammatory bowel disease; women
• ISSN: 1049-7323; 1552-7557
• DOI: 10.1177/1049732318763114

Our aim is to provide an understanding of the experience of women with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) who have made the transition to motherhood. A total of 22 mothers with IBD were recruited from around the United Kingdom. Semi-structured interviews were conducted and analyzed using thematic analysis. The central concept—Blurred Lines—offers a novel frame for understanding the transition to motherhood with IBD through identifying parallels between having IBD and becoming, and being, a mother. Parallels clustered into three main themes: Need for Readiness, Lifestyle Changes, and Monitoring Personal and Physical Development. Hence, women with IBD are in some ways well prepared for the challenges of motherhood even though, as a group, they tend to restrict their reproductive choices. We recommend health professionals initiate conversations about reproduction early and provide a multidisciplinary approach to pregnancy and IBD in which women have confidence that their ongoing treatment will be integrated successfully with their maternity care.