| Summary: | This study aimed to investigate the emotional implications of obstetric ultrasound for the maternal-fetal relationship, in the context of fetal normality. Eleven primiparous pregnant women, aged 18 to 35, with gestational ages between 11 and 24 weeks, who were being submitted to ultrasound for the first time, took part in the study. They answered a semi-structured interview and the Mother-Fetus Attachment Scale, before and after the examination. Qualitative content analysis of the interviews revealed that ultrasound, in addition to modifying the mother’s view about the baby, now seen as more real and concrete, has intensified mother-baby interaction behaviors, expanding the different ways of contact, and strengthening maternal feelings, making the mother feel more appropriate in its role. Wilcoxon Test revealed a significant increase in mother-fetus attachment after the examination. Taken as a whole, the results indicate that ultrasound had an important emotional impact on pregnant women, influencing mother-baby relationship.
Keywords: ultrasound; mother-fetus relationship; fetal normality.
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