3.1.2. Sub-Theme 1.2: Mental Health and Emotional Well-Being of Mothers

Although many participants described their pregnancy experience in a positive light, some defined their pregnancy as a negative experience. The participants expressed a variety of stressors (external, internal, or both). Some participants were still teenagers when they got pregnant, which contributed to excessive stress: "I was still in school ... and I did not know what do to with the child" (Participant 16). Many participants indicated their current circumstances as stressful and overwhelming, such as the relationship with their child's father or intimate partner: "Oh, he hit me that evening. He took the belt. He pulled my hair . . . My stomach was blue from how he hit me" (Participant 17).

Some participants also experienced internal stressors, as expressed: "I felt like a disappointment, felt like I've disappointed them [family] with the pregnancy" (Participant 2). Various participants experienced the birth process itself as a strain: " ... it is a fear in you, because if you make a mistake here, then it is your fault. Then I panicked ... " (Participant 18). The poor mental health of Participant 17 was further portrayed by serious indicators of attempts to harm her child: "I cannot anymore. I left the child at the hospital ... I walked out without the child. I do not want the child ... I am tired of being a mother ... ". On another occasion, the same participant tried to kill the baby: "I told myself, throw the child in the dam of water . . . we are hungry. We don't have food".
