Table 3.
Excerpts about feelings of isolation and prenatal anxiety
| Quote # | Type* | Quotation |
|---|---|---|
| Theme/Source: Isolation and Conjugal/Natal Family Support | ||
| 1 | PW | Then there are problems with those at home. I wonder, what will happen? How will this happen? What can I do? I wish there were someone at home I could talk to. Those whom I have to talk to, I can’t talk to. (M13) |
| 2 | HP | There are certain women who have been ignored at home by their family. As you know, in-laws are not very caring [of daughters-in-law] in our society. (P5) |
| 3 | PW | I live upstairs, so I am busy with my household chores. They all live in the lower portion. I also sew others’ clothes, so I don’t have much time to share [with my sister- and mother-in-law]. (M7) |
| 4 | HP | The woman who is going through pregnancy is fighting a private battle for herself and her child. […] She wants someone to take care of her, to look after her and help her. (P5) |
| 5 | PW | I have been at my mother’s home for the last six months because it’s my first baby so she wants me to stay with her […] They are all very supportive. (M19) |
| 6 | HP | Some women are not allowed to step outside their houses, [and] no one knows at home that she has come to visit [a provider]. (P2) |
| 7 | PW | Before, it was that… (hesitates, looks around) Before, it was like my in-laws had prepared for a son. Everything was bought for a son. Everything. So, when I was in the hospital, [in a low voice] they abandoned me. (M1) |
| Theme/Source: Isolation and Spousal Support | ||
| 8 | PW | When my husband was here, I had no tension, but now I am alone and I feel more stress. Sometimes I become unconscious. No one was there to watch out for me. That’s why I felt it was very difficult. (M13) |
| 9 | PW | A woman depends on her husband because she leaves her mother’s home. If her husband is a nice person, then even if her in-laws are not good, time will pass. If her husband and in-laws are not good to her, then a woman cannot live. (M10) |
| 10 | PW | When I talk about visiting my sisters, he gets down on hearing this. If I were allowed to visit my siblings’ home, then there wouldn’t be any issue. (M11) |
| 11 | PW | My mother-in-law asked him [my husband] why he was happy as he was having a daughter, to which my husband replied that he is thankful to Allah [God] for granting him a child. […] Women nowadays can’t always handle such criticism. They need someone to talk to. (M18) |
| Theme/Source: Isolation and Peer Support | ||
| 12 | PW | I would get back pain. Otherwise, mentally, I did not like having to quit my former activities of going out with my friends and spending time with them. (M11) |
| 13 | HP | It’s very important [that] some people keep good relations with their friends. Some people depend on their neighbors a lot [for support]. (P2) |
*
Participant type: PW= Pregnant Woman; HP = Healthcare Provider