‘Most pregnant women still rely on mums for guidance’

Most pregnant women still rely on their mothers for emotional support and guidance — many weighing mother’s advice as equal to or even over medical recommendation, a new study suggests.
For the study, published in the journal Reproduction, the research team from University of Cincinnati, investigated the complexities within mother-daughter dynamics during pregnancy in relation to potentially harmful advice from many pregnancy guidebooks, looking specifically at the emotional and health care risks to certain groups.
The researchers performed in-depth interviews with pregnant women and their mothers while following the pregnant women for nine months.
“I found that most pregnancy self-help books, best known for their month-by-month guidance on fetal development and lifestyle coaching, are also empathic about following medical advice exclusively over what they consider the outdated advice of a mother or friend,” said study researcher Danielle Bessett from University of Cincinnati.
“This advice is limited and can result in an increased level of stress and discomfort for some soon-to-be moms,” Bessett added.
While highly educated women engaged with their mothers in a more limited way, women with lower education engaged with their mothers more in-depth about everything and ranked their mothers as the most valuable source of information, the study said. (IANS)