Inner Voice of Pregnant Women

Background: Spirituality is an integral part of well-being of every individual and is regarded as a foundation for health. Spirituality becomes more significant and evident during crisis periods like pregnancy. Therefore, it is crucial for health care providers to be supportive during pregnancy by exploring and understanding the meaning of spirituality for the pregnant women.Objective: This study aimed to discover the experiences of Iranian pregnant women regarding spirituality Research design: The data were collected through semi-structured, face-to-face, and in-depth interviews and were analyzed using the directed qualitative content analysis approach.Participants and research context: The participants included 11 pregnant women who referred to healthcare centers of Karaj, Iran. They were selected by purposive sampling and invited to participate in the study.Ethical considerations: The research was approved by the Ethics Committee of the Islamic Azad University Karaj Branch Findings: Three major themes emerged through the data analysis: permeable transcendence , doubled responsibility , and spiritual circumstance . The first theme consisted of the three sub-themes of spiritual awareness of the mother ; the spiritual light of baby and personal transformation and improvement . The second theme consisted of the two sub-themes of spiritual nourishment for mother and spiritual nourishment for child . The third theme consisted of the two sub-themes of religious background and spirituality of healthcare providerDiscussion and conclusion: Results of the study indicated that the spiritual essence of the unborn child, the mother’s own spirituality and also the significant others influence on her experiences regarding spirituality which make her more responsible to care of a spiritual entity within her womb

Keywords:

Spirituality , Pregnancy , Qualitative research , Nursing , Religion , Iran