Interoceptive and exteroceptive pregnant bodily experiences and postnatal well-being: A network analysis

Objectives: Pregnancy involves rapid physical and physiological changes that may affect feelings towards the bodily experience. This experience, including body dissatisfaction and interoceptive sensibility, is linked to antenatal attachment and maternal mental health. However, the long-term relationships between pregnant bodily experiences and postnatal outcomes remain unknown. This study aimed to explore the complex relationships between the perinatal bodily experience and postnatal variables. Design: Longitudinal observational study using online surveys at three time points. Methods: Longitudinal data were collected at three time points, during pregnancy (N = 253), and 3 (N = 137) and 6 (N = 107) months postpartum. Pregnancy-validated measures assessed body dissatisfaction and interoception, alongside measures of postnatal bonding, maternal anxiety and depression, breastfeeding behaviours, and infant birth weight and development. A partial correlation graphical lasso network analysis was used to explore the relationships between the bodily experience and these postnatal variables. Results: Antenatal bodily experiences linked to postnatal anxiety, body dissatisfaction and interoceptive trust, with poorer postnatal experiences going on to correlate with higher anxiety, depression and breastfeeding rates at 3 months. Antenatal body weight dissatisfaction was linked to increased breastfeeding and depression, less trust in bodily signals and a lower quality mother-infant bond at 6 months postpartum. Conclusions: The findings underscore the importance of pregnant bodily experiences for maternal postnatal health and mother-infant bonding, helping to identify mothers at risk of poorer postnatal outcomes.