Keeping Up a Front: Narratives About Intimate Partner Violence, Pregnancy, and Antenatal Care

• NCJ Number: 229560
• Journal: Violence Against Women Volume: 16 Issue: 2 Dated: February 2010 Pages: 189-206
• Author(s): Kerstin E. Edin; Lars Dahlgren; Ann Lalos; Ulf Hogberg
• Date Published: February 2010
• Length: 18 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This article examines the complex situation of being pregnant while living with an abusive partner.

Abstract

Nine women who had been subjected to severe intimate partner violence during pregnancy narrated their ambiguous and contradictory feelings and the various balancing strategies they used to overcome their complex and difficult situations. Because allowing anyone to come close posed a threat, the women mostly denied the situation and kept up a front to hide the violence from others. Three women disclosed ongoing violence to the midwives, but only one said such disclosure was helpful. This article highlights the complexity of being pregnant when living with an abusive partner and challenges antenatal care policies from the perspective of pregnant women. (Published Abstract)