New behaviors a prospective mother may engage in includes the following:

a. Displays a Sense of Ambivalence to the Pregnancy. You, as the practical nurse, must explain to the patient that what she is feeling is not unnatural. She must not be made to feel guilty about her ambivalence.

b. Fantasize About The Pregnancy. This may be mixed with a sense of fear or dread. The patient may dream about the impact a baby will have on her life and the lives of other family members. If the fantasies become moribund or characterized by excessive fear and cause despair, the patient may require counseling.

c. Role Playing. The patient may act the part of being a mother. She may spend time playing with children or babysitting other friends’ babies. She may show more interest in caring for babies. She may pick them up more or talk with other women about their babies.

d. Increased Concern For Financial and Social Problems. Paying for a child, losing a job, or losing a second income for a while, the cost of child care, loss of freedom to come and go, and the requirement for a total commitment that may prevent her from performing social obligations may all be concerns for the new mother.

e. Decreased Interest In Sex Due To Bodily Changes. Nausea, vomiting, fatigue, and fear of injury to fetus may cause a loss of interest in sex. Increased vascularity to breast may yield breast tenderness or discomfort initially but this decreases as the pregnancy continues. Increased vascularity to the genitalia area may also be of concern. Fear of a miscarriage may cause the patient not to want sexual intercourse.