Attitudes to the fetus among primigravidae

Thirty primigravidae took part in a prospective study of attitudes to the fetus, carried out by means of a series of semi-structured, tape-recorded interviews. The degree of development of the fetus was grossly underestimated in the first trimester. By mid-pregnancy their ideas about the fetus had become more accurate and all gave realistic descriptions by 36 weeks gestation. Although most women had difficulty in believing that the fetus really existed in early pregnancy, a minority already had an established relationship with the fetus by 8–12 weeks of gestation. Maternal fetal “attachment'’was present in 63% of women by 18–22% weeks and 92% by 36 weeks gestation.