The Miracle Bearers: Narratives of Birthing Women and Implications for Spiritually Informed Social Work Practice

Abstract

Women's childbirth experiences are not widely researched in the social work literature. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to answer questions related to the child-birthing experience. One hundred and nineteen participants responded to a 26-item online questionnaire between April and June 2008, and their written narratives were analyzed using a grounded theory approach. Themes regarding the spiritual dimensions of childbirth emerged from the data and support current research demonstrating the importance of spirituality in women's lives and the meaningful and transformative nature of childbirth experiences. Implications for addressing spirituality in practice when working with childbearing women are explored. Future research that explores how spirituality may function as a protective factor for women with difficult pregnancies, births, and transitions to parenting is recommended.

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