| Abstract | Background:
The current research aimed to explore how women, who have conceived via assisted reproductive procedures after experiencing infertility, describe their experiences of the first year of motherhood, as well as, what psychosocial and contextual factors impacted on their experiences. Methods:
A qualitative methodology was employed, with Reflexive Thematic Analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006, 2021a, 2021b, 2022) as the chosen method of data analysis. Data was collected by interviewing 12 women who had become parents after successful reproductive procedures. Results:
Four key themes were derived from the data analysis process, representing women’s account of how their prior infertility and IVF journeys impacted on their experiences of early motherhood: 1) “It is a big adjustment”: Feeling unprepared for the realities of motherhood; 2) “We’ve got what we wanted”: Navigating early motherhood with a highly sought after and longed for child; 3) “You’ve gone through this physically and mentally draining thing”: Experiencing exhaustion and painful emotions associated with the difficult journey to motherhood; and 4) “That sense of support and sense of community, was really helpful”: The importance of community, connections, normalisation and support. Implications and conclusions: For many women, the psychological impact of infertility and infertility treatment influenced their experiences of early motherhood. To minimise difficult feelings experienced by women post-natally, healthcare professionals should normalise different experiences of early motherhood after infertility, as well as, giving women the chance to reflect on and process the “trauma” of infertility and infertility treatment during and after pregnancy. What is more, protective factors, such as greater partner support and self-compassion, could be increased through policy changes or therapeutic support. |
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