The Mother with Smeary-Death Life: The Lived Experience of Near Miss Mothers

Abstract

Background A Near Miss Mother (NMM) who survives life-threatening conditions, experiences intense physical, emotional, and psychological consequences following the maternal near-miss (MNM) events. The aim of this study was therefore to explore indepth understanding meaning of NMM everyday lived experiences on the social and cultural background of Iran. Methods This qualitative study utilized a hermeneutic phenomenology procedure. The study was conducted in hospitals affiliated with the Educational, Research and Treatment Centerwhich usually handle the NMMs. The sampling was purposeful with a maximum variation of eleven NMMs. Datawere collected using unstructured face-to-face interviews, and thetranscribed data were analyzed using Diekelmann, Allen, and Tanner’s seven-stage thematic analysis approach. Results "The mother with smeary-death life" was the central emerged theme, and three extracted sub-themes included: "Distorted psyche on a journey to death", "physical destruction due to an ominous event ", and the "vicissitudinous life of the back-to-life mother". These sub-themes, in turn, involved 12 sub-themes that emerged from 38 common meanings and 1200 codes. Conclusions Findings demonstrate that NMMs need a supportive program that includes additional follow-up visits, psychological support from the time of hospitalization until long-time after discharge, alleviation of social, sexual, and financial worries to return them to the normal life, as well as psychosocial rehabilitation to increase their life quality. Furthermore, post-discharge care in NMMs should be done actively and directly at their homes.