(Re)constructing Myself: the process of transition to motherhood for women with a disability

This paper presents a substantive theory that explains the transition to motherhood for women with a disability.

Over the last thirty years, interest in exploring women's experiences of motherhood has increased. Extant theories on transition to motherhood originate, primarily, from the perspective and experiences of non-disabled women with few exploring the phenomenon from the perspective and experiences of women with a disability. Those that do tend to focus on issues of accessibility, profiling the challenges that women with a disability encounter while accessing maternity services, attaining a maternal role and fulfilling the requirements of that role. Little is known about the experiences of women with a disability and their transition to motherhood and even less about the relationship of this process on the self.

The study was conducted using a Strauss and Corbin approach to grounded theory.

Individual interviews (n = 22) were conducted over 4 years (2008-2012). Women were interviewed during pregnancy and in the postnatal period. All interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim, imported into Nvivo 8 and analysed using the constant comparative method.

The substantive theory that emerged from the study provides a conceptual framework clinicians can reference when counselling, assisting and facilitating women with a disability during their preparation for and transition to motherhood.

The substantive theory presented in this paper will increase clinicians' understanding of the process involved in the transition to motherhood for women with a disability.