The lived pregnancy experience of women in prison

The professional literature reflects limited awareness of and/or concern for the effects of incarceration on the physical and psychological dimensions of childbearing. The purpose of this study was to describe the childbearing experience as reported by pregnant incarcerated women. Giorgi's phenomenological method was used. Apprehension, grief, subjugation, and relatedness were the essential themes related to the experience of childbearing in prison which emerged from the analysis of the transcripts of the journal entries and interview data. Incarceration was the fulcrum on which the women's pregnancy experiences balanced. Rapidly rising numbers of women imprisoned in the United States underscore the urgency to better understand their experiences. Health care providers must find ways to help female inmates cope more effectively with the role diffusion/confusion they experience as they live two diametrically opposing roles--those of inmate and mother. Correctional facilities must also be assisted in establishing policies that recognize the unique needs of pregnant incarcerated women.