Page 149 - Pro-active Management of Women’s Health after Cardiometabolic Complicated Pregnancies

3.4 Motivators and barriers to a healthy postpartum lifestyle| 147
cardiovascular and metabolic risk was an important reason for wanting to adopt a healthy postpartum lifestyle: “Because of the increased risk, I don’t eat too much fat, I avoid smoky places, and I have enough exercise. I’m aware of it - it’s not that I think: I’ll see what will happen in 10 years”. Furthermore, women perceived that a healthy lifestyle was also considered important and desirable by their partner, family, friends and their healthcare specialists.
Barriers and perceived behavioral control
The vast majority did not feel confident in their ability to be able to adopt a healthy lifestyle, and perceived it as difficult to achieve. Most women reported that they did not succeed in adopting a healthy postpartum lifestyle; this also applied to those who were living a healthy lifestyle prior to their pregnancy.
All women characterized their postpartum physical and psychological health condition as being worse than that prior to their pregnancy. This was more pronounced in women who had experienced a severe complication: “After delivery, I’ve never had the feeling of being my old self again”. Frequently reported complaints were fatigue, forgetfulness, low mood, sleep disturbance, emotional lability, and reliving events surrounding their complicated pregnancy. Women felt they were not yet recovered from their pregnancy, both physically and psychologically. This was reflected in the complaints they reported, even up to 19 months after delivery. This reported lack of recovery from their complicated pregnancy was mentioned to be the main barrier to adopt and maintain a healthy lifestyle. This was more often the case among women who had experienced preeclampsia compared with women who experienced gestational diabetes, since women who had experienced preeclampsia more often reported postpartum complaints and lack of recovery form their pregnancy: “It was a battle to get out of bed, let alone thinking about eating two