Healthy birth after diagnosis of anomaly in pregnancy: A qualitative study on the socio-psychological experiences of mothers within the framework of modern medicine approaches

The development of modern medicine technologies has made significant contributions to healthcare services and improved maternal and infant health. This development has brought about advances in detecting possible risks during pregnancy. It is important to make correct diagnoses with diagnostic and screening tests that detect possible risks. Because it can be said that diagnostic and screening tests during pregnancy are a complex and sensitive issue that should be carefully considered regarding the emotional and psychological health of individuals. The aim of this study is to examine the experiences of women who were diagnosed with fetal anomaly but gave birth to a healthy baby, regarding the pregnancy process. In addition, it is to determine the relationships of the situations experienced in the process with modern medicine approaches. In the research, using the qualitative research method and the phenomenology pattern, the participants experiences of the pregnancy process were examined in depth through interviews. Research group; The study consisted of 18 women whose fetus was diagnosed with an anomaly but gave birth to a healthy baby. Participants were reached by criterion sampling method, one of the purposeful sampling methods. Maxqda program was used to analyze the data obtained. As a result of the research, it was seen that; One of the reasons why women are exposed to diagnostic and screening tests during pregnancy is that physicians want to avoid malpractice lawsuits. However, physicians have directed pregnant women to intensive and frequent diagnostic and screening tests in order to avoid being exposed to malpractice, causing this to become routine and accepted as a normal situation. The fact that an anomaly that is not noticed during pregnancy occurs after the baby is born has heavy sanctions on physicians, which leads them to this behavior, and for this reason, it is thought that women during pregnancy suffer sociopsychological damage. The women participating in the study shared how they coped with the news of the risk of anomaly in the fetus, how the uncertainty they experienced was a source of stress, and the emotional complexities that came with finally having healthy babies.