The maternal experience of having diabetes in pregnancy

Purpose: To describe the maternal experience of having type 2 or gestational diabetes in pregnancy using focus groups and individual telephone interviews. Data sources: Eight women who had type 2 or gestational diabetes in at least one pregnancy and participated in the qualitative study addressing the open-ended guiding questions on their experience. Conclusions: This phenomenological study gave voice to the women's experience with and concerns about having diabetes in pregnancy. Three primary themes emerged and were identified: (a) feeling concern for the infant related to diabetes, (b) feeling concern for self related to diabetes, and (c) sensing a loss of personal control over their health. Subthemes for each of the primary themes were also identified. Implications for practice: The experiences shared by these women may serve to inform the development of interventions aimed at meeting the needs of women with diabetes in pregnancy. By learning from the themes of the phenomenological study, advance practice nurses may anticipate the needs of the women diagnosed with diabetes in pregnancy to augment their care, education, and promotion of diabetes self-management in pregnancy.