Abstract
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Background: High-risk pregnancies entail profound emotional vulnerability. While prior research mostly emphasizes clinical outcomes and self-care compliance, the lived experiences of high-risk pregnant women navigating structural and financial hardships in industrial zones remain underrepresented. Pluak Daeng district, a core industrial hub in Thailand’s Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC), is characterized by migrant worker populations, rigid shift schedules, and elevated preterm birth rates. Understanding these women's psychological realities is vital for designing human-centered care.
Objective: This interpretive phenomenological study aimed to explore the lived experiences, emotional distress, and quality of life among high-risk pregnant women, and to uncover how they emotionally navigate their pregnancies within an industrial economic zone.
Methods: An interpretive phenomenological approach was used. Purposive sampling recruited 16 high-risk pregnant women at Pluak Daeng hospital, Thailand. Data saturation was achieved at the 13th participant and confirmed through the 16th. Data were gathered via semi structured in depth interviews, observation, and field notes, and analyzed using interpretive thematic analysis adhering to Lincoln and Guba’s trustworthiness criteria. Ethical approval was granted (PIM-rec 038/2568).
Results: Participants were predominantly industrial workers facing intersecting vulnerabilities, including advanced maternal age, medical comorbidities (gestational diabetes mellitus, chronic hypertension), sexually transmitted infections, financial strain, and delayed antenatal care. Thematic analysis revealed four overarching themes: 1) Silent suffering and constant terror, marked by hidden anxieties over fetal survival and fear of disease transmission. 2) The echo of trauma and stigma, driven by past pregnancy losses, financial constraints, rigid factory shifts, and insurance barriers. 3) The maternal mission, where participants stoically endured painful treatments and actively sought online health information to protect their off spring and 4) Relational dynamics, characterized by spousal relationships evolving from initial stigma to support, contrasted with profound isolation among single mothers.
Core essence: At the heart of this phenomenon, participants anchored their emotional well-being and defined quality of life not through physical comfort or clinical metrics, but through the conscious perception and tracking of fetal movement. Feeling the baby kick served as an indispensable emotional anchor, offering immediate validation of fetal survival and fueling maternal hope amidst constant terror.
Conclusion & Implications: Healthcare systems in industrial zones must transcend routine clinical tracking. It is crucial to establish non-judgmental safe spaces, integrate emotional anchors like fetal movement into psychological assessments, transition nurses into empathetic companions, and implement flexible care models tailored to transient populations.
Keywords: High-Risk Pregnancy, Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis, Quality Of Life, Emotional Distress, Fetal Movement, Eastern Economic Corridor.
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