“Fruits of our past karma”: a qualitative study on knowledge and attitudes about congenital anomalies among women in Pune district, India

Congenital anomalies are distressing events for future parents/parents when a foetal anomaly is detected during pregnancy or when the infant is born with a disability or a congenital disorder. Maternal health services in India do not provide information on these disorders as part of routine activities. The objective is to understand women's knowledge and attitude on causes, prevention, rights; attituted towards disability; and knowledge on medical care, rehabilitation, and welfare services in Pune district, India, with the goal of identifying the contents of birth defects education resources. The study used a qualitative descriptive design. Six focus group discussions were conducted with 24 women from Pune district. Qualitative content analysis was used to identify emergent themes. Three themes emerged. Firstly, women’s knowledge on congenital anomalies was limited. These conditions were discussed generally with other adverse pregnancy experiences, and with reference to children with disabilities. Secondly, pregnancy termination for conditions considered untreatable was majorly advocated by most women. Directive counselling for pregnancy termination by doctors was common. Thirdly, stigmatizing attitudes were responsible for children with disabilities being considered a burden, for maternal blaming, and for the stigma and isolation of families. Knowledge on rehabilitation was limited. The study identified that participants. Three target groups and contents for birth defects education were identified. Women’s resources should include knowledge on preconception and antenatal opportunities for reducing risks, available medical care, and legal rights. Parents’ resources should provide information on treatment, rehabilitation, legal provisions, and rights of disabled children. Resources for the general community should additionally include disability sensitization messages to ensure the inclusion of children with congenital disabilities. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12687-023-00654-y.