Original Research Report “I Didn’t Need People’s Negative Thoughts”: Women With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Reporting Attitudes Toward Their Pregnancy Lynne A. Potvin 1 , Barbara M. Barnett 1 , Hilary K. Brown 2,3 , and Virginie Cobigo 1,4,5 Abstract Background: Since the illegalization of involuntary sterilization of persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities, there has been an increase in childbearing in this population. However, women with intellectual and developmental dis- abilities continue to experience prejudicial attitudes toward their pregnancies. Objective: To analyze the experiences of women with intellectual and developmental disabilities regarding their percep- tions of support persons’ attitudes toward their pregnancies. Methods: Three case studies derived from grounded theory research exploring perinatal social support received by women with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Using inductive content analysis, we further analyzed the perceptions of women with intellectual and developmental disabilities regarding support persons’ attitudes toward their pregnancies. Findings: The nature of interactions with support persons and women’s characteristics, such as help-seeking behaviors, disability, mental illness, and age, influenced support persons’ attitudes toward childbearing. Women preferred support from caregivers perceived as nonjudgmental and tended to restrict contact with persons perceived as prejudicial. However, some attitudes improved following positive interactions with the women. The relationship between support persons’ attitudes and the women’s help-seeking behaviors is thus complex. Conclusions: Education of families and medical and social services practitioners and opportunities for positive contact should be further explored. Caseworkers of women with intellectual and developmental disabilities may have invaluable roles in facilitating positive interactions between women with intellectual and developmental disabilities and caregivers. Keywords Patient with intellectual disability, patient with developmental disability, perinatal care, stigma, attitudes and beliefs, prejudice Introduction Intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) are neurodevelopmental disorders characterized by limita- tions in intellectual and adaptive functioning (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Persons with IDD experience difficulties learning, problem-solving, understanding complex or abstract ideas, or communi- cating. Their limitations vary from an individual to another with most of them being able to live indepen- dently with limited support and others requiring support in all aspects of their daily living. IDD is often due to chromosomal anomalies (e.g., Down Syndrome) and can be associated with neurodevelopmental disorders such as 1 School of Psychology, University of Ottawa, Canada 2 Women’s College Research Institute, Women’s College Hospital, Toronto, Canada 3 Interdisciplinary Centre for Health and Society, University of Toronto Scarborough, Canada 4 Centre for Research on Educational and Community Services, University of Ottawa, Canada 5 Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute, Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario, Ottawa, Canada Corresponding Author: Virginie Cobigo, School of Psychology, University of Ottawa, 136 Jean- Jacques-Lussier Private, Ottawa, Ontario K1N 9A8, Canada. Email: virginie.cobigo@uottawa.ca Canadian Journal of Nursing Research 0(0) 1–14 ! The Author(s) 2019 Article reuse guidelines: sagepub.com/journals-permissions DOI: 10.1177/0844562118819924 journals.sagepub.com/home/cjn