PREGNANT WOMEN:

TRANSCRIPT OF
INTERVIEW

Barameda, Ma. Abegail

Bernardo, Darwin Christian S.

Cabral, Hannah

Lualhati, Emie L.

Ponce, Rogie
GUIDE QUESTIONS:

1.) Do you believe in cravings? How did you experience this? In what particular month
did you experience this?

2.) What are the precautions /preparations you undertake to have a healthy
conception pregnancy?

3.) Do you still practice intimate moments (sex) with your husband/partner while you
were pregnant? What is your opinion about this?

4.) What are the physical changes that happen to your body during pregnancy? How
did you adapt or feel towards these changes?

5.) What is the hardest part of your pregnancy? Why?

6.) Do you experience post-partum syndrome? How did you cope?

7.) Did you experience morning sickness? How did you handle this?

8.) Do you believe in superstition belief align with the idea of pregnancy? Would you
like to share some superstitious belief that you followed and why?

9.) Do you think the support and presence of your partner/husband is important and
why?

10.) What is special in being a mother? Anything that you want to share with us to
understand the process of pregnancy? What is your message to us?
PREGNANT WOMAN # 1

Name: Ma. Cecilia Name of Partner/Husband: Rommel

Marital Status: Single Occupation: Office Worker

Occupation: None

Classification: First Time Mother

1. No, I don’t believe on cravings. I did not experience to crave for a particular food,
but my appetite increased on the latter part of my pregnancy.
2. My pregnancy was not planned. If it was planned, I would have taken folic acid
prior to that and started a healthier diet.
3. Yes, we did some readings before doing it just to make sure that it is safe.
4. Nothing much, I just gained a little weight.
5. The hardest part would be my first trimester, because I easily get emotional and
these make stressful events during that time.
6. No, maybe because I have a very strong family support so that if there is something
bothering me, I talk about it.
7. No.
8. No.
9. Yes, it made me feel secure and also make me feel that I’m not alone with the
whole journey of my pregnancy.
10. What special about being a mother is that a mother is carrying another life inside,
feeling it and experiencing first hand development to understand the process of
pregnancy, educate myself through reading articles and books about pregnancy
and I also see my OB Gynecologist regularly to ensure a safe pregnancy. My
message for you is to plan your pregnancy and you must be physically,
emotionally, psychologically and financially ready.
PREGNANT WOMAN # 2

Name: Margie L. Casiosio Name of Partner/Husband: Ramel I. Casiosio

Marital Status: Married Occupation: Laborer

Occupation: Staff Midwife

Classification: Mother of three (3)

1. Yes, there’s a particular food I really want to eat. 1-3 months of pregnancy/first
trimester.
2. Taking vitamins, eat healthy foods
Do’s

*Eat healthy foods

*Regular minimal exercise
*Vitamins

Donts

*Avoid smoking
*Avoid drinking alcohol
*Avoid salty foods

3. Yes, it is allowed unless there’s a complication during pregnancy.

4. The physical changes that happen to my body during my pregnancy are changes
in my underarm, neck get dark, weight gain.
5. The hardest part of my pregnancy is during the labor & delivery of the baby,
because it is very painful.
6. No
7. Yes, e.g. Nausea & Vomiting. I handle these by eating crackers before I leave my
bed.
8. Yes, although there’s no scientific proof or explanation. I wear cap most especially
when I’m walking outside the house at night.
There’s nothing to lose if I believe on those.
9. It is not that important because only you can help yourself mostly in time of labor.
10. The special thing about being a mother is that you can do anything for your children
like giving their needs.
Being pregnant is not easy but it is fulfilling to one woman because of the
happiness that it could bring
PREGNANT WOMAN #3

Name: Deneb G. Asilo Name of Partner: Felix Raymond Asilo

Marital Status: Married Occupation: Business Dev. Manager

Occupation: Finance Dept. Head

Classification: First Time Mother

1. Yes, I believe in cravings. When you’re pregnant you have heightened sense of
smell and taste resulting to food cravings or sometimes food aversion. During my
first trimester I didn’t have any appetite because of my morning sickness. I just eat
oatmeal. My food cravings started during my second trimester. I just want to eat
anything sweet, chocolates and ice cream.
2. I was extra careful when I was pregnant. I believe what you eat or do can greatly
affect the baby. Basically, my OB-Gyne gave me prenatal vitamins especially folic
acid which is very important to prevent development of neural tube defects, have
a regular monthly check up and monitor signs of cramping or bleeding. She also
gave me a list of do’s and don’ts:
Do’s
- light – moderate exercise
- eat a well-balanced diet especially fruits and vegetable
- keep hydrated
- adequate sleep
- use gentle cleanser and lotion on skin
Don’ts
- eating raw meat or fish
- hair dyes
- cleansers or toners with hydroquinone
- lasers
3. Yes, it is not contraindicated to have sex with your husband/partner if you’re
pregnant. Me and my husband had sexual intercourse during my second trimester.
It was difficult and uncomfortable for us during the third trimester because of my
big pregnant belly. As long as the woman is not high-risk pregnancy and
comfortable of having intercourse then it shouldn’t be a problem.
4. My breasts got bigger, my nose got bigger, I had breakouts, my underarm and
neck got darker, linea nigra and stretch marks on my stomach. At first it was
affected my self-esteem in a negative way, for me I look ugly, but my obgyne
reassured me that everything is just hormonal and after a few months after I
delivery everything will slowly go back to my pre-pregnancy state.
5. For me the hardest part was the later part of my pregnancy. When I was nearing
the end of my pregnancy, I experienced urticaria from my back down to my feet.
 Aside from that I couldn’t get any more sleep because of my big belly it was difficult
to find a comfortable position.
6. Yes, I did. There were days that I just cry all day because of lack of sleep, also
when I couldn’t make the baby stop crying, I felt useless in a way that I feel that
I’m not good mother. I am very grateful for the support of my husband and my
mom. Having a good support system helped me coped with my post-partum.
7. During my first trimester I had experienced morning sickness. I couldn’t eat and
keep anything down especially in the morning. Eating oatmeal, crackers, fluids,
deep breathing and sucking on ice chips helped me deal with it.
8. No, I’m not really a superstitious person. The only thing I did was listen to classical
music because they say it will help develop the baby’s brain and make them
intelligent.
9. It is very important to have the support of your husband, emotionally and
financially. From the physical changes to delivering a child is such an exciting and
at the same time a scary experience for me because you risk your life in the
process. Also having a child is really expensive from the checkups, medicines and
the hospital bills. It’s good that you have someone that you can share these things
and make your responsibilities in life easier.
10. There’s nothing quite like motherhood that I can say. I feel that being a mother is
the greatest role that I take in my lifetime. Giving life and nurturing a baby inside
you and rearing a child in this world to be the best person that he/she can be makes
a mother so special. Our love to our child is unconditional. The process of
pregnancy is complicated and it’s like witnessing a miracle of God happening
inside a woman’s body. My message to every child is to love their mother and
respect them for all the sacrifice and selfless love that the mother does for them.
PREGNANT WOMAN #4

Name: Hazel Gay C. Francisco Name of Partner: Reniel M. Davalos

Marital Status: Single Occupation: Modular Installer

Occupation: Administrative Aid

Classification: First Time Mother

1. No, I didn’t experience any cravings.

2. The preparations I did to have a healthy pregnancy are first to take a good care of
myself so that my baby would be healthy too a, second, I do eat a lot of fruits and
vegetables. I stopped eating crackers, drinking soft drinks and coffee.
3. No.
4. Gaining weight.
5. Masasabi kong wala namang parte na ganoon kahirap kahit nung manganak na
ako hindi ako nakaranas ng labor pain at kahit caesarian ako mabilis naman ang
nagging recovery.
6. No.
7. No.
8. Yes, Huwag daw pupwesto ang buntis sa may pintuan kasi mahihirapang
manganak.
9. Yes, because moral support from your partner is. God also gave us this special
gift of intuition because it gives us a strong sense of what is right for our children.
Pregnancy want to make certain lifestyle changes, such as taking my prenatal
vitamins and optimizing diet. Be grateful if you find yourself pregnant.
Synthesis

Highlights and Similarities

With the transcript of the interview, it can be concluded that women undergoing
pregnancy have varying opinions on cravings, post-partum syndrome, morning
sickness, and superstitious beliefs. Some pregnant women experience cravings,
making them belief in that concept, while some don’t. Some women practice
superstitious belief, thus, the group heard various superstition for pregnancy such as
wearing cap whenever she walks outside at night and not sitting in the door as it may
cause difficulty in giving birth. These beliefs are not proven according to some
respondents by they practiced it as it will not do them any harm anyways. As for post-
partum syndrome and morning sickness, it is not experienced by some pregnant
women. Those experiencing such event coped up by the help of their loved ones and
taking necessary food such as oatmeal, crackers, and ice chips

Women during pregnancy are aware the necessity of taking care of

themselves, especially, the baby is still dependent on the mother. They are well-aware
that things that affects the mother is somehow also felt by the unborn child. Thus, the
four respondents aspire and took several precautions like taking vitamins, eating
healthy food, getting enough sleep, exercising, and avoiding stress as much as
possible. Some pregnant women practice listening to classical music as it shall help
the development of the baby.

There are still debates on whether it is appropriate to have sex during

pregnancy. However, some of our respondents stated that they still practice sexual
interaction given that the pregnancy is stable and healthy. Another, pregnant women
also undergo physical changes. However, these changes are subject to difference as
some mothers experience physical changes up to extreme extent like gain of body
weight and size, linea nigra, stretch marks, and the likes.

During the process of giving birth, it is stated by the respondents that it is

necessary to have moral support from their partner, either physically or emotionally. It
is also added that aside from the husband’s support, the support of the family is also
well-appreciated. Moreover, it is given emphasis that God’s grace and guidance is the
most important of all.

The respondents came up with the same sentiments regarding on the hardest
part of pregnancy which is the process of labor or the actual giving of birth. However,
they have different reasons on why being a mother is a special role. Some says it I
because of conceiving and carrying a life inside one’s body and experiencing and
being part of its development. While some feel that this role is an obligation of raising
an offspring to be the best person, he/she can be. It is a sacrifice of a person for a
being that has still many things to learn.

Reflection
 It is greatly evident that pregnancy of women is characterized with
unpredictability – people cannot assume the possible outcomes due to various factors.
Therefore, pregnancy have different experiences and cannot be simplified to a single
generalization. Some people that are blessed will experience a healthy and less
stressful pregnancy while some will face problems like imbalance in the body and
worse, complications that can affect the baby’s development.

Moreover, women have different beliefs on how they should handle pregnancy
and themselves during its duration. These beliefs are driving force towards their way
of coping with pregnancy. Nonetheless, it is important that these beliefs will do no
harm on the mother and the child being conceived. Thus, the importance of moral
support, security, and guidance from one’s loved people will be of great help in the
morale of a mother in conceiving a child.