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The meaning of caring in prenatal care from Swedish women's perspectives
Author(s) -
Larsson Åsa,
WärnåFuru Carola,
Näsman Yvonne
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
scandinavian journal of caring sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.678
H-Index - 66
eISSN - 1471-6712
pISSN - 0283-9318
DOI - 10.1111/scs.12383
Subject(s) - meaning (existential) , feeling , vulnerability (computing) , existentialism , power (physics) , psychology , nursing , developmental psychology , social psychology , gender studies , sociology , medicine , epistemology , psychotherapist , philosophy , physics , computer security , quantum mechanics , computer science
Aim To deepen understanding of the meaning of caring in prenatal care from Swedish women's perspectives. Method Ten women, who had given birth between 1 and 2 months previously, were interviewed. The women have taken part in the routine programme that constitutes maternity care Sweden. A hermeneutic approach inspired by Gadamer was used to analyse the data and gain a deeper understanding of the women's experiences. Findings Three themes were identified in the hermeneutical analysis. The themes highlight an existential and ontological aspect for caring as experienced of the women in the study: invitation and caring promise, witnessing and confirmation, and caring emerges in vulnerability . Conclusion The life‐changing gravidity and vulnerability motivates caritative care during pregnancy. Reception of caring is not just a superficial feeling, but gives a new understanding of life on an ontological level. In a genuine caring relationship, the pregnant woman not only receives something but also a power and an opportunity to go further and find her own inner strength.