Living with changing expectations for women with high-risk pregnancies: a Parse method study

Area of Science:

• Nursing
• Qualitative Research
• Phenomenology

Background:

• High-risk pregnancies present unique challenges impacting women's lived experiences.
• Understanding the subjective experience of navigating changing expectations is crucial for supportive care.
• The human becoming theory provides a framework for exploring lived experience.

Observation:

• This study explored the lived experience of women with high-risk pregnancies facing changing expectations.
• The Parse research method, rooted in phenomenology, was employed to capture participants' perspectives.
• Participants described their experience through the lens of the human becoming theory.

Findings:

• Living with changing expectations was characterized by 'foreboding disquietude' and 'arduous restrictions'.
• Participants also engaged in 'mitigating nurturing engagements' to envision desired future outcomes.
• These findings enrich the human becoming theory and illuminate the lived experience of high-risk pregnancy.

Implications:

• Healthcare providers can better support pregnant women by acknowledging and addressing their anxieties and restrictions.
• Nurturing engagements can be fostered to help women envision positive futures during high-risk pregnancies.
• Further research can build upon the human becoming theory to explore similar experiences in diverse populations.