About one in five women suffers from domestic violence when she is pregnant. Even if a woman has never been abused before, pregnancy may be a time when abuse can start. Often, they feel confused and even embarrassed, asking themselves, “How can this be happening to me?”
There's nothing to be embarrassed about. Abuse is never the victim’s fault. The abuser is to blame. There are many reasons why abuse may happen during pregnancy.
- Your partner is angry because the pregnancy is unplanned or the pregnancy is planned and now your partner doesn't want the baby.
- Your partner may feel jealous about the baby.
- Your partner may feel angry because the baby is coming too soon after the last baby.
There are many effects the abuse can have on your pregnancy.
- You may be anemic because you aren’t eating right or getting enough vitamins and iron.
- You may not gain enough weight because of the stress.
- If abuse is happening in the abdominal area, you may have bleeding during your first two trimesters.
- You may have more infections.
- Your baby may be too small at birth or be born early.
- You may feel anxious, upset and lonely which could lead to risky behaviors, such as smoking or using drugs or alcohol during pregnancy.
Talk to your doctor, nurse, midwife or social worker about what is happening to you. They can help. You can call the 24-hour National Domestic Violence Hotline at(800) 799-7233 (SAFE) or (800) 787-3224 (TTY for the Deaf).
All contact with the hotline is free and confidential. Help is available in English, Spanish, and many other languages. For more information, visit www.ndvh.org.
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