Cancer during Pregnancy: When Mothering and Cancer Collide

To explore the personal meanings of being diagnosed with cancer while pregnant in the context of becoming a mother.

Using a longitudinal, interpretive phenomenological design, women participated in three in-depth, semi-structured interviews. Data were analyzed using interpretive hermeneutic analysis.

Ten women were interviewed twice during pregnancy and once within 8 weeks postpartum. Three major themes with nine subthemes were identified: The Embodied Understandings of Cancer and Pregnancy (I Still Can, I No Longer Can, I Must); Pregnancy Disrupted (All I Heard was Cancer, Mom Guilt, Meanings of the Pregnancy); and Early Motherhood Disrupted (Birth as a Finish Line or a New Starting Point, The Balancing Act, Mothering Intentions) . Participants described varying degrees of collision they experienced as their mothering identities, intentions, and capabilities collided with cancer. Cancer forced many participants to confront disrupted expectations they held for pregnancy, birth, and early motherhood.

Nurses and other health care professionals can provide anticipatory guidance and skillful clinical care that recognizes the complexities of disrupted mothering expectations and intentions in all those with cancer during pregnancy. Meeting these needs through tailored support, education, and interventions can balance pregnancy, birth, and postpartum care with cancer management.