This study explores how migrant Eastern European
women experience pregnancy in Ireland. It contributes to understanding how the migration process may impact on
the process of pregnancy and motherhood. Grounded theory methodology was
utilised; thirteen interviews were conducted with Eastern European women, aged
between 20 and 40 years, who had experienced, or who were experiencing,
pregnancy in Ireland. Data analysis identified
a core category of ‘keeping things under control’ which integrates three
themes, namely ‘balancing conflicting demands’, ‘reconstructing cultural
heritage’ and ‘negotiating discrepancies between expectations and reality’.
These findings advance understanding of how the participants tried to gain
control over their new life while managing two transformative life events:
pregnancy and migration. Migrant women who become pregnant in their new country
face multiple challenges, each multi-faceted, which have bidirectional
relationships with social support. Eastern European women may have particular
struggles with making the transition to a less medicalised maternity health
care system when they migrate to Ireland.