Desiring a balanced identity : a Heideggerian phenomenological inquiry into the pregnancy experiences of newcomer women to Canada living with HIV

The pregnancy experiences of newcomer women to Canada living with HIV is an important area within maternal health research which to date has been unstudied. Hence, the purpose of this study was to explore the meaning of pregnancy for newcomer women living with HIV. Heideggerian phenomenology was used as the methodology and guiding framework. Five women living in an urban setting in Ontario, Canada were interviewed. Through data analysis and using the four existentials of human existence Desiring a Balanced Identity emerged as the overarching theme of the pregnancy experiences of the five women. This overarching theme was intimately connected with the four essential themes which were uncovered during data analysis. These themes were The Situational Self, Living with the Good and the Bad, Support and Acceptance, and The Future Seems Brighter. Recommendations and implications for education, practice and organizational policy, and research are provided in light of the study findings.