Women's Experiences With a Pregnancy Relapse Prevention Plan to Prevent Mental Health Symptom Relapse

Objective: To describe the experiences of women with a mental health diagnosis with making and using a pregnancy relapse prevention plan (PRPP) in an effort to prevent mental health symptom relapse during the period of pregnancy, birth, and postpartum.

Design: Qualitative design with a phenomenological approach.

Setting: Participants were recruited from an outpatient clinic within a "psychiatry and pregnancy" mental health institute in the Netherlands.

Participants: Twelve women with a mental health diagnosis who gave birth.

Measurements: Data were collected by individual semistructured interviews supported by a topic list.

Results: Four categories/themes of findings emerged from the data: Making and Advantage of the PRPP, Using the PRPP, Cooperation, and Care After Childbirth.

Conclusion: Making and using a PRPP provided pregnant women with overview, predictability, and feelings of tranquility on all aspects related to pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period. Participants appreciated the support and recognition the PRPP provided. The signal function of the PRPP for all who were involved (professional and nonprofessional caregivers) was described as an added value. Involvement of women's partners and caretakers was essential. An evaluation afterward is recommended.