Jordmorblikk på ungt moderskap. Om jordmors rollefortolkning i møte med gravide tenåringer

Abstract

Abstract Over the last decades it has become less common to become a teenage mother both in Norway and the other scandinavian countries. Even though there is extensive research concerning teenage pregnancy in european countries, questions concerning healthcare professionals approach to this marginal groups of pregnant women, has hardly been investigated in a scandinavian context. The aim of this qualitative study was to gain knowledge about midwives reflections about their profesional roles in caring for pregnant teenagers during prenatal care, and their understanding of young motherhood as a social phenomena. In-depth interviews were conducted with 10 midwives working in the public health care system in 7 different counties in Norway. Four categories were developed from the midwives descriptions: structural factors determining the midwives obligations, the relationship with the teeange mother, the midwife’s interpretation of her own role in caring for pregnant teenager, and preparing for change:the realistic mootherhood. By the use of existing theory these categories were further elaborated to suggest that the midwives role due to both academic and institutional changes, has been transformed and expanded from a primary orientation towards the individual pregnant adolescent, to include several concerns in what can be perceived as an ambigous intepretation of the midwifes professional role. Furthermore caring for a marginal group the shift between an individual or contextual oriented approach holds important implications about reflections on normality. It appears that the midwives understanding of her professional role is shaped as a result of both interactional and structural factors, and the perspectives on young motherhood is there both biologically and socially constituted. Key words: teenage pregnancy, prenatal care, professional role, empowerment, young motherhood