Managing Multiple Sclerosis and Motherhood

Résumé du livre

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a disease of the central nervous system with wide-ranging effects. It is a condition that most commonly affects women of childbearing age. Until recently, women with MS were discouraged from becoming mothers but studies have found that pregnancy and birth do not negatively affect the course of MS. There is a lack of research about MS in the New Zealand context and, in particular, about women who have MS and their experiences of becoming mothers. This research project explored the nature of pregnancy, birth and mothering young children for women with MS, and marked an important beginning to research about disabled women's experiences of motherhood in New Zealand. Nine women with MS, who had become mothers in the past five years, were interviewed individually about their experiences of pregnancy, birth and mothering children up to the age of five years.