An exploration of emergent themes in women's existential experience of childbearing.

The purpose of this study was to explore psychological, sociocultural and physiological aspects of individual women's first experience of childbearing. A secondary purpose of this study was to examine the utilization of an unscheduled semi structured interview as a strategy for the clinical assessment of childbearing women. The investigation was an exploratory study of six nulliparous women who were attaining prenatal care at a health center in Oregon. The women were interviewed and medical and prenatal histories were attained when they were 35-40 weeks pregnant. This allowed for the opportunity to meet for several interviews before delivery. After the interviews, five of the women did drawings of selected areas of their experiences of pregnancy. Following labor and delivery of each subject, the investigator reviewed and recorded the labor and delivery records and the newborn charts. Field notes were recorded on the interviews and on the participant observations of one of the women in labor. Thirty-four content categories emerged from the analysis. These categories were then described in narrative form and consolidated into seven domains: psychological aspects, symptomatology, culturological dimension, relationships, preparations for the future, beliefs about problem causation, and fantasies. Fourteen specific themes emerged from these content areas. Individual case profiles were described. The particular themes which arose for each subject during the study were identified. There appeared to be a relationship between the emergent themes and obstetrical and neonatal outcomes. Due to the exploratory nature of the study, and the limited sample size, no definite conclusions could be made from the information attained. However, several interesting perspectives on the clinical implications of such a study evolved. Further study is indicated for additional exploration of the themes in women's experiences of childbearing.