Exploring the Lived Experiences and Meanings of Care Among Midwives in High-Risk Maternity Units
Keywords:
Midwifery, Phenomenology, Emotional Labor, Moral Responsibility, Spiritual Care, Lived ExperienceAbstract
Midwifery plays a crucial role in promoting maternal health, combining scientific competence with compassionate human engagement during childbirth. Within this field, limited attention has been given to understanding the lived experiences of midwives who navigate emotional and ethical complexities in high-risk maternity care. Although prior studies have addressed the technical and psychological aspects of the profession, little is known about how midwives construct meaning from their caregiving experiences in emotionally demanding contexts. This study addresses that gap by asking: How do midwives interpret and find meaning in their lived experiences of providing care during high-risk childbirth? Using an interpretative phenomenological approach (IPA), this research explores the subjective meanings underlying midwives’ professional practice. A purposive sampling strategy was employed to recruit twelve midwives with at least three years of experience in high-risk maternity units. Data were collected through in-depth, semi-structured interviews, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed following the IPA analytic steps: initial noting, development of emergent themes, clustering of themes, and cross-case analysis. The analysis revealed five specific themes: (1) emotional duality in balancing fear and empathy, (2) heightened moral responsibility in life-threatening situations, (3) shared sisterhood as a source of collective resilience, (4) spiritual meaning as an inner coping mechanism, and (5) redefinition of care through professional self-reflection. These findings demonstrate that caregiving is not merely a technical act but an existential vocation, where midwives integrate empathy, resilience, and spirituality in response to the challenges of maternal care. The study highlights the need for structured emotional support systems, reflective practice spaces, and ethics-informed training to strengthen midwives’ capacity in high-risk settings. The study contributes to a deeper understanding of the human experience in midwifery, emphasizing the importance of emotional awareness, reflective practice, and ethical support in improving maternal healthcare quality.
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