Processes of becoming mothers of women pregnant with twins by assisted reproductive technology:

From their infertility treatment to pregnancy to the sixth month after delivery

Abstract

Purpose
The purpose of this study is to shed light on the period from infertility treatments to six months after delivery during which the women who became pregnant with twins after receiving Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) went through the process of becoming a mother.
Methods
The study design is the life story method. The participants were four women who (1) became pregnant with twins after receiving ART, (2) do not have any inherent abnormalities and did not have complications with the fetus after eight months of pregnancy, (3) were anticipated at the eighth month of pregnancy to have a smooth pregnancy and delivery process. The data was collected through semi-constructive interviews and the participant-observer method. Interviews and observations were carried out in a longitudinal way at the following five points: (1) during regular outpatient visits to a maternity clinic, (2) during hospitalization after delivery, (3) around the time of the one-month health checkup of the babies, (4) around the time of the three-month health checkup of the babies, and (5) around the time of the six-month health checkup of the babies.
Results
The research describes life stories of: participant A whose dream of making a family with her husband has come true by having the babies, participant B who tries to be a strong mother for her babies, participant C who tries to recover from her previous pain of losing her child, and participant D who still has not really been able to feel that she has become a mother.
Discussion
All of the research participants during their pregnancy denied the thought that they might become a mother. But after delivery, they recovered the time they spent with their fetus by rewriting their stories as if they had prepared for becoming a mother from the time of their pregnancy. They also gave meaning to the current situation as 'satisfied' by recalling their harsh experience where their self-esteem was hurt during the infertility treatment. The women told their stories of going forward as a mother by giving an affirmative meaning to their unresolved past and accepting it.
At the same time, however, there was a possibility that their stories of being hurt by the stigma of infertility, which they cannot get rid of even after delivery, casts a shadow on their stories of becoming a mother. The stories of women becoming a mother after being pregnant with twins following ART were to be re-written along with the narrative that continues from the period of the infertility treatment to that of child rearing, at the base of which, it was believed, exists the continued stories of being hurt. It was suggested that it is necessary to understand the experience of women from the time of infertility treatment through to child rearing and provide continuous support that is appropriate for each woman's experience.