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Heroin Addiction and Related Clinical Problems: 2016, 18, N5 (pages: 33 - 42)

The Experience of Pregnancy, Childbirth and Motherhood of Drug Using Women

Mejak V. and Kastelic A.

Summary: Background: Not many of the studies on the pregnancy, childbirth and motherhood of drug-using women that have been conducted in Central and Eastern Europe, including Slovenia, have demonstrated the marginal position such groups hold in research. There is not much knowledge about experiences of drug-using mothers, their needs or risk behaviours, as almost all studies focus on the harm undergone by new-born children. Aim: The goal of this study was to explore and better understand the experiences of women using illicit drugs during pregnancy, childbirth and motherhood, and to recognize their needs and the obstacles they have to face. Methods: The in-depth semi-structured interviews with fifteen mothers who had used opioid drugs during their pregnancy and labour served as the source of information. All subjects were included in various addiction treatment programmes. The methodology used was qualitative. Results: Apart from the problems that are physically linked with drug use, pregnancy involves various psychosocial risks. The pregnancies of most of the mothers in this study (all of them were opioid users) had been unplanned and were detected at quite a late stage. When the mothers realized they were pregnant, they began to follow various harm reduction strategies that they believed would benefit their child, such as discontinuing illicit drug use and taking part in an agonist opioid maintenance treatment. The involvement of supportive partners and other relatives, as well as the comprehensive management of pregnancy and drug use, demonstrated positive effects on prenatal care. However, prejudice and various stereotypes prevented care and health workers, governmental and non-governmental institutions alike and individuals from applying effective strategies. This study has investigated severe features of these women's lives when they came to the term of their pregnancy and then childbirth. Conclusions: Pregnancy is a period that allows changes to happen in pregnant women's lives, and therefore calls for support strategies to benefit both mothers and their children.