2023 Volume 37 Issue 2 Pages 114-125
Purpose
The purpose of this study was to clarify the background structure of the practice of clinical midwives in caring for socially vulnerable pregnant women as well as to describe it phenomenologically.
Methods
The research design was a phenomenological study. The research collaborators were midwives with more than 10 years of clinical experience who had worked with socially vulnerable pregnant women on multiple occasions and were able to talk about their practice, using a network sampling method. Data collection was conducted using the unstructured interview method.
Results
The research collaborator was Ms. A., a midwife in her late thirties who had been working at a hospital for more than 10 years. The first practice studied was the practice of “looking at the mother and the child and their surroundings,” which she described as the landing point of the question of “looking at the person,” and the second was the practice of “stepping in” and “passing” the relationship to the community, which came to light through looking at the mother and the child as well as their surroundings. The practice of “looking at the mother, the child, and their surroundings” consisted of the following four components. “Seeing the mother and child and their surroundings from various angles,” “Seeing the mother's past and future from the point of pregnancy,” “Listening to the mother so that she feels taken care of,” and “Recognizing changes in mothers with difficulties as their strengths.” Community collaboration consisted of two components: “stepping in” and “passing” to the community.
Conclusion
The clinical midwives' practice of caring for socially vulnerable pregnant women revealed the structure of the practice of “looking at the mother and child and their surroundings” as well as the practice of community collaboration, based on the question of “looking at the person.” The practice suggested that the midwife's sense of value is not directly related to care, but that care is determined by “looking at the mother and child as well as their surroundings”. The study also showed the involvement of clinical midwives in building relationships with socially vulnerable pregnant women and the practice of connecting socially vulnerable pregnant women with their local communities.
