Living beyond placenta accreta spectrum: parent's experience of the postnatal journey and recommendations for an integrated care pathway

Helena C Bartels; Antje Horsch; Naomi Cooney; Donal J Brennan; Joan G Lalor

doi:10.1186/s12884-022-04726-8

Living beyond placenta accreta spectrum: parent's experience of the postnatal journey and recommendations for an integrated care pathway

BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 2022 May 10;22(1):397. doi: 10.1186/s12884-022-04726-8.

Authors

Helena C Bartels¹, Antje Horsch^{2

3}, Naomi Cooney⁴, Donal J Brennan¹, Joan G Lalor⁵

Affiliations

¹ Dept of UCD Obstetrics and Gynaecology, School of Medicine, University College Dublin, National Maternity Hospital, Holles Street, Dublin 2, Ireland.
² Institute of Higher Education and Research in Healthcare, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.
³ Woman-Mother-Child Department, Lausanne University Hospital, Lausanne, Switzerland.
⁴ Placenta Accreta Ireland, Patient Support and Advocacy Group, Dublin, Ireland.
⁵ School of Nursing and Midwifery, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland. lalorj1@tcd.ie.

Abstract

Background: Placenta Accreta Spectrum is associated with significant clinical maternal morbidity and mortality, which has been extensively described in the literature. However, there is a dearth of research on the lived experiences of pregnant people and their support partners. The aim of this study is to describe living beyond a pregnancy and birth complicated by PAS for up to four years postpartum. Participants experiences inform the development of an integrated care pathway of family centered support interventions.

Methods: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis approach was applied to collect data through virtual interviews over a 3-month period from February to April 2021. Twenty-nine participants shared their stories; six people with a history of PAS and their support partners were interviewed together (n = 12 participants), six were interviewed separately (n = 12 participants), and five were interviewed without their partner. Pregnant people were eligible for inclusion if they had a diagnosis of PAS within the previous 5 years. This paper focuses on the postnatal period, with data from the antenatal and intrapartum periods described separately.

Results: One superordinate theme "Living beyond PAS" emerged from interviews, with 6 subordinate themes as follows; "Living with a different body", "The impact on relationships", "Coping strategies", "Post-traumatic growth", "Challenges with normal care" and recommendations for "What needs to change". These themes informed the development of an integrated care pathway for pregnant people and their support partners to support them from diagnosis up to one year following the birth.

Conclusion: Parents described the challenges of the postnatal period in terms of the physical and emotional impact, and how some were able to make positive life changes in the aftermath of a traumatic event. An integrated care pathway of simple supportive interventions, based on participant recommendations, delivered as part of specialist multidisciplinary team care may assist pregnant people and their support partners in alleviating some of these challenges.

Keywords: Experience; Interview; Multi-disciplinary team care; Placenta accreta spectrum; Postnatal care; Qualitative; Trauma.

MeSH terms

Delivery of Health Care, Integrated*
Female
Humans
Parents
Parturition
Placenta Accreta* / therapy
Postpartum Period
Pregnancy