Attitudes Toward Birth Spacing Among Low-Income, Postpartum Women: A Qualitative Analysis

To explore attitudes about birth spacing among low-income, recently postpartum women, using qualitative methods, seven focus groups among postpartum women were conducted, probing knowledge and attitudes related to desired birth spacing. Transcripts of the discussions were reviewed and coded for salient themes using a Grounded Theory approach. In regards to whether to pursue pregnancy in the future, major themes included the availability of adequate resources, current family composition and the role of partners. With respect to when to have a next pregnancy, themes centered around the desire for particular intervals between siblings. Discussions of the effect of spacing on the health of the mother or child did not emerge frequently. Themes underlying postpartum women’s desire for particular birth spacing are varied, but social and family considerations seem to predominate over concerns or knowledge about potential health effects. Improving women’s knowledge about these consequences could lead to lowering the incidence of short interpregnancy intervals, known to be associated with adverse perinatal outcomes.