Emotional cushioning in pregnancy after perinatal loss

Abstract

Women pregnant again after prior perinatal loss fear another loss and thus protect their emotions and avoid prenatal bonding. This phenomenon, emotional cushioning, appears to be a complex self‐protective mechanism and is proposed here as a unique combination of circumstances and responses used by women to cope with the anxiety, uncertainty, and sense of vulnerability experienced in these subsequent pregnancies. Related literature is reviewed to clarify and circumscribe what emotional cushioning is. In this mixed‐methods study, a convenience sample of women pregnant after perinatal loss (N=63) completed the Pregnancy Anxiety Scale during and following pregnancy and responded to questions regarding ‘holding back their emotions’ in pregnancy. The purpose was to describe the range and prevalence of emotional cushioning, to compare pre‐ and post‐natal reports of emotional cushioning, and to examine relationships between emotional cushioning and pregnancy anxiety pre‐ and post‐natally. The majority of women (58.7%) reported some emotional cushioning. Emotional cushioning questions were significantly and positively correlated with pregnancy anxiety. Clinical and research implications are discussed.

Keywords:

• pregnancy
• miscarriage
• attachment
• qualitative methods
• quantitative methods

Acknowledgements

This study was funded by the National Institute for Nursing Research (l R15 NR005321). Many additional members of the research team contributed to the study: Marie Recano‐Dunham, MEd, RN, NNP, Susan Chappuis, MS, RN, Nancy Bailey, MS, RN, APN,