Work

Maternity care experiences of women with a BMI> 35 kg/m2: An interpretive phenomenological analysis

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: PROBLEM: is driven by a biomedical approach, with limited inclusion of women's views or experiences. BACKGROUND: in pregnancy is common. Women with a higher Body Mass Index are more likely to access medical care during their pregnancy owing to increased rates of obstetric complexity. AIM: accessing maternity care. METHODS: accessing maternity care in Australia. Data were analysed using Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis. FINDINGS: Women's experiential data were analysed and three superordinate themes were constructed: Women's knowledge and agency; Healthcare that harms; and Healthcare that heals. Participants recounted their own role in invoking knowledge and enacting agency, describing birth as a significant life event. Participants acknowledged that past life and pregnancy experiences informed present experience, including intuitive knowledge of their own bodies. Harm was experienced when care was discriminatory or stigmatising, in response to inadequate or inconsistent information or inadequate consent. Healing care was experienced when care was relationship-based, knowledgeable, kind and listening, and when adequate preparation was facilitated. Irrespective of the specifics of their maternity care experience, participants in this study rejected Body Mass Index as a measure of health and expected more nuanced and detailed individual health assessment from their maternity carers. DISCUSSION: Women described variable experiences of maternity care. A woman's knowledge and agency are central to her pregnancy care experience. Delivery of healthcare that heals minimises harmful care experiences. Harms such as stigma, discrimination, inadequate consent, and difficulty gathering and sharing information can be avoided with maternity care that was relationship-based, kind and knowledgeable, and affords adequate preparation. CONCLUSIONS: Previous experience informs personal agency. Body Mass Index was rejected as a marker of health. Women want personalised care.

Source: Women and Birth

DOI: 10.1016/j.wombi.2025.101900

Authors: Rachael Nugent, Caroline de Costa, Leonie Callaway, Lauren Kearney

Institutions: The University of Queensland, James Cook University, Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital

Language: English

Topic: Maternal and Perinatal Health Interventions

Subfield: Obstetrics and Gynecology

Field: Medicine

Domain: Health Sciences

SDGs: Good health and well-being, Reduced inequalities

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,613