Abstract
•Multiple sclerosis (MS) primarily affects women during childbearing years, making pregnancy and childbirth a significant problem.•Perinatal nurses notice increased MS relapses, especially during the postpartum period.•Pregnant women with MS require significant attention and time to promote successful self-management and optimal outcomes.•Self-management practices of pregnant women with MS that prepare them for the postpartum period are urgently needed to prevent relapses and disease complications.•The present study's findings indicated that all mothers in the intervention group showed an increase in self-management scores regarding improving contact with their health care providers, treatment adherence, and their knowledge level at the 6th and 12th week postpartum.
This study aims to determine the effect of multiple sclerosis supportive programs on mothers' self-management during postpartum.
A quasi-experimental, nonequivalent group design was utilized. Primigravida pregnant women between 35–37 weeks of gestation and recently diagnosed with multiple sclerosis participated in two preparation sessions. While the first session during pregnancy was an open conversation about the delivery, the key topics of the second session were the nature of the postpartum cycle and the expected relapses.
Seventy pregnant women with multiple sclerosis participated in this research. Results denoted a statistical difference between both groups regarding self-management in 6th and 12th weeks postpartum. The improvements were related to mothers' relationships with their health care providers and knowledge and information about multiple sclerosis during this transitional phase. On the other hand, there were no differences among both groups related to their levels of functional activities at 6th and 12th weeks postpartum. Although there was a slight deterioration in motor ability score among both groups at 12th week's postpartum, 54.3% of the intervention group vs. 49% of the non-intervention group reported 100% absolute independence. Moreover, the total relapses in the three-month postpartum ranged between 1–6, increasing the frequency of relapses during the three-month postpartum with no statistically significant differences between both groups.
Conducting a multidisciplinary program to follow and counsel mothers with MS helps enhance self-management throughout the three-month postpartum period.