title: The essence of nurse-midwifery care. The woman's story.
abstract: The purpose of this qualitative research study was to discover the experience of the woman cared for by a nurse-midwife. Six variously situated and ethnically diverse women were interviewed about their experience with nurse-midwifery care. Using Colaizzi's phenomenological method, the data were analyzed extracting 151 significant statements that were clustered into nine themes. A picture of the essential structure of the women's experience of nurse-midwifery care unfolded and was returned to them for their comments and confirmation. Women talked about a relationship built on respect, trust, and alliance. It was the nurse-midwife herself, her qualities and behaviors, her concern and caring, and her respect for women that laid the foundation for how the women in this study perceived the experience. Repeatedly, women articulated the respect for their time, their families, their fears, and their need for information. Ultimately, it was this respect from the nurse-midwife that empowered the women to determine and direct their care.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001294:Attitude to Health; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D009721:Nurse Midwives / Q000523:psychology / Q000592:standards*; D009723:Nurse-Patient Relations; D009732:Nursing Care / Q000523:psychology / Q000592:standards*; D015404:Nursing Methodology Research; D011247:Pregnancy / Q000523:psychology*; D014933:Women's Rights