Overview

Midwives care for all women, those who are well, informed, have a chronic illness or disability and those who are vulnerable. Vulnerable women especially those who are pregnant and use illicit drugs however are often seen as challenging and can be cared for poorly, often stigmatised and marginalised. Illicit drug use especially in women who are at reproductive age is increasing, with poly-drug use being most common. Successive Australian governments have a harm minimisation stance towards drug use, but in the social media punishment and distain are still prevalent towards illicit drug users. The wombat in the room is a metaphor for the nonacknowledgement of the issue of pregnant women and illicit drug use. The midwives who work with these women have been silent on how they manage and care for these women. This study aimed to examine and develop an understanding of the phenomenon of midwives experiences of caring for pregnant women who use illicit drugs. Hermeneutic phenomenology underpinned by Heidegger's philosophy and Gadamer's methodology was chosen to frame this research. The researcher was seeking a deeper understanding of a particular phenomenon. Heidegger specifically encouraged the consideration of our own 'Dasein', so that the 'other' and 'others' were seen and, thereby, 'others' lived experiences were illuminated. Data was generated with twelve participants, who shared stories of their experiences of caring for pregnant women who used illicit drugs. The researcher used an approach developed by Lindseth and Norberg (2004) inspired by Ricoeur (1976) to thematically analyse the data.

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9781835710098

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