Abstract
Background
This paper reports on a small qualitative research study which explored women's experiences
of participation in a pregnancy and postnatal group that incorporated yoga and facilitated
discussion. The group is offered through a community based feminist non-government
women's health Centre in Northern NSW Australia.
Question
The purpose of the research was to explore women's experiences of attending this pregnancy
and postnatal group.
Methods
An exploratory qualitative approach was used to explore women's experiences of attending
the group. Fifteen women participated in individual, in-depth face-to-face interviews.
Interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim. Thematic analysis was undertaken
to analyse the qualitative data.
Findings
Six themes were developed, one with 3 subthemes. One theme was labelled as: ‘the pregnancy
and motherhood journey’ and included 3 sub-themes which were labelled: ‘preparation
for birth’, ‘connecting with the baby’ and ‘sharing birth stories.’ The other five
themes were: ‘feminine nurturing safe space’, ‘watching and learning the mothering’,
‘building mental health, well-being and connections’, the “group like a rock and a
seed’ and ‘different from mainstream’.
Conclusion
This research adds to the overall body of knowledge about the value of yoga in pre
and postnatal care. It demonstrates the value of sharing birth stories and the strong
capacity women have to support one another, bringing benefits of emotional and social
well-being, information, resources and support derived from group based models of
care.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: July 23, 2012
Accepted:
June 22,
2012
Received in revised form:
June 14,
2012
Received:
March 20,
2012
Publication stage
In Press Corrected ProofIdentification
Copyright
© 2012 Published by Elsevier Inc.
