Imprisoned pregnant women's lived experience of prenatal care: A phenomenological Inquiry

Considering that the world’s female prison population has increased by about 53 per cent since 2000, the phenomenon of pregnancy in prisons is also increasing. One of the basic and specific needs of pregnant women is to receive prenatal care in prison. The purpose of this study was to understand the meaning of prenatal care in lived experience of imprisoned pregnant women.

The present qualitative study was conducted using interpretive descriptive phenomenology through interviews with 11 pregnant and early postpartum women in prison. The participants were purposefully selected from pregnant women imprisoned in 2020 in Mashhad, Iran. Van Manen's six-step phenomenological approach was used for data analysis.

The main theme of the "fence of deprivation" emerged from the analysis. This theme consisted of two sub-themes including “overlooked healthcare” and “limited welfare services”. According to the research findings, the deficiencies and deprivations that surrounded pregnant women in prison cause health problems and impaired welfare for incarcerated women during pregnancy.

The experience of prenatal care in prison can be likened to being placed in a fence of deprivation. Prisons are neither able to provide healthcare essentials nor to identify the healthcare needs as well as special needs and wants during delivery for pregnant women. Our results suggest a reexamination of the services currently available, including strengthening healthcare provision and making sure required health information is available to incarcerated pregnant women at an early stage of pregnancy.