The Lived Experience of Childbearing From Survivors of Sexual Abuse: “It Was the Best of Times, It Was the Worst of Times”

The final result was the essence of childbearing for survivors in this study. They were not screened for a history of sexual abuse. Enjoyment and excitement were juxtaposed with guilt and fear. They had no voice, lacked support, and overwhelmingly desired control. They overprotected their children, from infancy into adulthood. The childbearing experience was a complex, emotional roller coaster permeated by the past. Women's health care providers can utilize the results to provide therapeutic care to survivors to prevent revictimization. The results elucidate the importance of screening for a history of sexual abuse and discussing the implications such a history can have on the childbearing experience.