The experience of pregnancy in women with high body mass: a hermeneutical/phenomenological study

Overweight is one of the most common health problems and riskfactors for many prenatal illnesses. the proportion of pregnantwomen with high body mass would be increased by increasingbody mass in society. the purpose of this study was to explainthe pregnancy experience in women with high body mass index.an interpretive phenomenological approach was used to conductthis study. participants included ten pregnant women with highbody mass index who were interviewed. all interviews wererecorded and transcribed after permission from the participantsin order to explain the phenomenon under study and the datawere analyzed by using the van manen method in maxqdaversion-10 software to emerge their themes and their basicpatterns. out of the 857 extracted primary codes, the experienceof women with high birth weight was summarized in the maintheme of pregnancy concurrent with concern. this themecomprised the following subthemes: sense of risk, lack ofcare facilities for mothers with high body mass index, obesityas a stigma, and lack of specialized care. this hermeneuticphenomenology study showed that pregnant women with highbody mass are a vulnerable group. their pregnancy concurrentwith more concern requires more care and support. serviceproviders, in particular midwives, nurses, and doctors, shouldbe aware of their attitudes and behaviors toward this group ofclients and avoid any stereotypical and harassing care behaviors.