Researchdesignandmethods
This study was informed by phenomenology and the reasons for using this approach were two-fold. Firstly, within the social context of nursing and midwifery, phenomenology is considered an appropriate methodology and it is often used in the health-care setting (Nagy et al, 2010). Secondly, phenomenology aims to develop insights into ‘lived experience’ from the perspective of those involved in the experience (Mapp, 2008). This approach explores and emphasises the meanings of the phenomenon from the centrality of the participant (Mapp, 2008), which is consistent with midwifery’s valuing of the individual woman (Page, 20