'Every pregnant woman needs a midwife'--the experiences of HIV affected women in maternity care

<p>TITLE: 'Every pregnant woman needs a midwife'-the experiences of HIV affected women in Northern Ireland.</p><p>OBJECTIVE: to explore HIV positive women's experiences of pregnancy and maternity care, with a focus on their interactions with midwives.</p><p>DESIGN: a prospective qualitative study.</p><p>SETTING: regional HIV unit in Northern Ireland.</p><p>PARTICIPANTS: 22 interviews were conducted with 10 women at different stages of their reproductive trajectories.</p><p>FINDINGS: the pervasive presence of HIV related stigma threatened the women's experience of pregnancy and care. The key staff attributes that facilitated a positive experience were knowledge and experience, empathy and understanding of their unique needs and continuity of care.</p><p>KEY CONCLUSIONS: pregnancy in the context of HIV, whilst offering a much needed sense of normality, also increases woman's sense of anxiety and vulnerability and therefore the need for supportive interventions that affirm normality is intensified. A maternity team approach, with a focus on providing 'balanced care' could meet all of the woman and child's medical needs, whilst also emphasising the normalcy of pregnancy.</p>