Sapién LJS, Córdoba BDI

Language: Spanish
References: 0
Page: 428-460
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ABSTRACT

The aim was to analyze how men signify pregnancy and the fetus. Eight men that lived with their partners during pregnancy were interviewed. Different categories were created in order to classify their experiences and interpretations. The desires to have a child tended to precede or accompany actions that favored conception and pregnancy. Once there was certainty about pregnancy, men started considering their partners and themselves as parents. They conceived the complex pregnant woman/pregnant belly/fetus as a delicate entity worthy of respect and protection in a social, sanitary, affective, and sexual sense. They considered the conceptus as a “living being”, “baby”, “son/daughter”, or transcendental “part” of themselves. Beliefs about the risky, beneficial, or neutral aspect of intercourse during pregnancy influenced their sexual behavior (sexual positions, intercourse frequency, masturbation). They imagined pregnancy as a biological and/or mystical feminine phenomenon of sociocultural and psychic relevance. According to them, childbirth accomplished the corporal maternal-fetal process, which involved importance for them and future projections. The proposed prenatal fatherhood concept is exemplified by the meanings about the fetus during pregnancy. This concept will help institutions such as family, school, healthcare sector, and labor law to recognize the implication of men during pregnancy.