Lived Experience of Postpartum Women in Recovery for Opioid Use Disorder on Medication-Assisted Therapy

The purpose of this study was to understand the lived experiences of postpartum women on medication-assisted therapy for opioid use disorder.

van Manen's interpretive hermeneutic phenomenological design was used. Recruitment and data collection from seven participants occurred at an outpatient office offering care for perinatal patients on medication-assisted therapy for opioid use disorder. Data collection occurred between September 2021 and March 2022 via in-person interviews using a demographic data sheet, interview guide, speech recognition software, and digital recordings. Demographic data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Qualitative data were analyzed using precoding, coding, and thematic analysis via van Manen's interpretive hermeneutic phenomenological method.

Seven themes were identified: troubled origins, used opioids to deal with life issues, needed to be self-reliant, opioid use disorder overtook their life, the baby was a motivator to seek treatment, the need for combined medication-assisted therapy and collaborative care, and hope for a better life.

Nurses can provide trauma-informed care, support the importance of medication-assisted therapy in recovery, incorporate a collaborative care team with expertise in postpartum opioid use disorder, continue the collaborative care team for a minimum of 1 year, and advocate for the patient's role as parent.