Figure 2

Representation of the synthesised themes and higher level interpretive themes, and their presence during pregnancy and the postpartum phase. Arrows indicate links between the themes highlighting that the content and implications of each theme are interconnected and thus cannot be taken in isolation. ‘Pre-pregnancy’ – the time before becoming pregnancy; ‘Inbetween’ – the initial phase in the first trimester before the woman’s expanding stomach is clearly visible; ‘Postpartum’ – up to two years after childbirth.