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Purpose This study aimed to describe the relationships of dietary behaviors, nutrient intake, and perinatal outcomes with the degree of maternal-fetal attachment in the third trimester of pregnancy. Methods This was a secondary analysis of 163 patients who underwent regular health checkups from the first trimester of pregnancy to 1 month postpartum. Participants answered the Prenatal Attachment Inventory (PAI), the Brief-Type Self-Administered Diet History Questionnaires, and a self-administered questionnaire about their dietary behaviors and health status in the third-trimester health check-up. The PAI scores in the third trimester were classified into three groups: low, medium, and high to ensure equal number of participants in each group, and Fisher's exact test and one-way ANOVA were used. Subsequently, an analysis of covariance was performed by adjusting for age, parity, and pre-pregnancy Body Mass Index (BMI) as covariates. The polynomial contrast subcommand estimated the linear trends across the PAI categories. Results The analysis included 123 pregnant women (43 primipara (35.0%) and 80 multipara (65.0%)) with a mean age of 31.3±4.4 and a mean PAI score of 60.6±11.9 in the third trimester (valid response rate=77.4%). There were 37 (86.0%) in the low group, 39 (92.9%) in the medium group, and 38 (100.0%) in the high group who recognized their physical condition as "better." The group with higher attachment awareness tended to consider themselves to be healthier (P=0.06). The estimated marginal mean energy intake in the lower, medium, and higher attachment groups were 1472.9±51.3 kcal, 1505.3±51.7, and 1443.1±54.2 kcal, respectively, after adjusting for age, parity, and pre-pregnant BMI. None of the groups met Japanese dietary standards for energy intake. Moreover, the estimated marginal mean birth weights in the lower, medium, and higher groups were 3013.0±48.8 g, 3105.7±49.2 g, and 2940.3±51.5 g, respectively, indicating a significant inverse U-shaped association between the three attachment groups (P=0.04). Conclusion The stronger the maternal-fetal attachment, the more aware mothers are of their own health, however, the participants did not meet the recommended nutritional intake standards, indicating a discrepancy between awareness of practicing desirable health behaviors and the nutritional intake status of pregnant women. Midwives need to be aware of this discrepancy and provide health guidance to pregnant women who express stronger attachment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose To describe midwives' perceptions of the continued existence of postpartum care services in midwifery homes, and to discuss the importance of midwifery homes in the community. Methods We conducted a qualitative study of 8 midwives who provided postpartum care services in midwifery homes in A prefecture. A semi-structured interview was administered where they described their perceptions of practicing at midwifery home. Data were descriptively analyzed. Results Regarding midwives' perceptions, the 1 core category [Practicing to support healthy life for mother-child dyads and their family] consisted of the 5 categories < Continued individual holistic supports>< Leading breastfeeding to pleasant of child-rearing > and . Midwives realized the existence of midwifery homes in the community as [Places of seamless child-rearing support in the community] and consisted 6 categories < Individual supports to mothers according to their background> and . Conclusion Midwives recognized that postpartum care services were essential practices in their profession that was different from ongoing project of postpartum care services. Moreover, the midwives continuously supported healthy lives for mother-child dyads and their families based on capturing mothers who are a series from pregnancy. Furthermore, the midwives considered the midwifery homes as places where they could perform professional roles in the community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]