Midwives' lived experiences of being supportive to prospective mothers/parents during pregnancy

Abstract

Objective: to elucidate midwives' narrated experiences of being supportive to prospective mothers or parents during pregnancy. Design: phenomenological hermeneutic analysis of transcribed text from seven tape-recorded interviews. Setting: midwifery clinics in five health centres in the context of Swedish primary health care. Participants: seven midwives working in antenatal care. Findings: the interpretation of the text showed that through perception and intuition the midwives seemed to become aware that some women needed increased support. The situations of these prospective mothers were often characterised by difficult social problems or fears. The prospective fathers were mostly absent in the narratives. The midwives acted on both a personal and a professional level with ethical perspectives in mind, when they were advocating their clients' rights to receive proper care. The comprehensive understanding of the interpretation revealed that the midwife sometimes perceived herself as being metaphorically ‘The Good Mother’. Key conclusions: having the role of ‘The Good Mother’ could be understood as a way for the midwife to establish a fruitful relationship with prospective mothers/parents. Implications for practice: the findings provide a basis for reflection on the mothering and supportive function of midwives when providing antenatal care.