Literature Review on Provision of Appropriate and Accessible ...

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in that they actively made decisions regarding whether the
pregnancy would continue or not, how the baby would be cared
for, and who would provide care.
<strong>Literature</strong> <strong>Review</strong> on Provision of Appropriate and Accessible
• The Support women to encountered People with significant Intellectual opposition Disability to who their are
Experiencing Crisis Pregnancy
childbearing and to the decisions they made about their unborn
babies. Fear of family intervention was a feature of the women’s
experiences; for example, one woman did not wish to disclose
her pregnancy for fear of a negative reaction or action on the part
of family members as well as fear that her child may eventually
be taken from her; another woman was pressurised by her
mother to have an abortion; another woman who was repeatedly
raped decided to have her baby adopted, as the pregnancy was
too advanced to have an abortion; another woman spoke of her
shock at discovering her pregnancy, which was at an advanced
stage, so she was unable to have an abortion.
• The women’s decisions were not made in isolation from those
closest to them, such as a partner and family members, those
who supported their authority as a mother of the baby they
carried, and those whose lives would be affected by the birth
of the baby. Each woman identified at least one person who
supported her decision-making regarding the child she carried.
• Mothering has been understood as a deeply embedded social
occupation by researchers (Llewellyn and McConnell, 2004:
188), who have observed that carrying out the mothering role
is influenced by those who can provide support for the mother
(Booth and Booth, 2000; Llewellyn and McConnell, 2004). In
Mayes et al.’s research (2006) the women’s stories indicated
an appreciation of the social nature of mothering work; they
expected that they would need support and sought people around
them to provide that support.
• The importance of women’s social networks and significant
support relationships leading up to the birth of a baby was
highlighted: women with intellectual disability sought support in
decision-making for a baby, prior to its birth.