"There’s a problem with BMI”: An exploration of midwives’ perspectives on the provision of maternity care to women with an increased BMI during pregnancy and childbirth in NZ
type: CreativeWork
description: The global burden of ‘maternal obesity’1 continues to receive worldwide attention, with the dominating focus being the identification and management of the perceived risks obesity poses to pregnancy. This focus, however, has neglected to seek solutions and perspectives from the individuals themselves and those others that may be best placed to understand the nuanced dynamics and realities. In Aotearoa New Zealand (NZ) over 95% of women2 choose a midwife as their Lead Maternity Carer (LMC) (Ministry of Health [MOH], 2020) yet research exploring midwives’ perspectives on the provision care to women with increased Body Mass Index (BMI) is limited. The aim for this thesis was to explore ‘the perspectives of midwives in NZ regarding the provision of maternity care to women with an increased body mass index (BMI).’ The research question driving this study was “What are midwives’ perspectives on the provision of maternity care to women with an increased BMI in New Zealand?” To answer this question, this qualitative study utilised a feminist standpoint theoretical lens to explore the experiences of seventeen midwives who provide care to such women, in three separate geographical locations in NZ. Data was collected using focus groups and semi-structured interviews and Braun and Clark’s (2013) thematic analysis process was used to identify four themes. Midwives within this study perceived that the use of BMI as a single measure of risk in maternity was flawed. They identified that hype exists around increased BMI which leads to over medicalisation and unnecessary and potentially harmful interventions taking place when women present with an increased BMI. Midwives are aware of and witness both discriminatory behaviour towards, and poor treatment of women with increased BMI within their midwifery work. Midwives desire change, yet often feel obstructed and powerless within the current maternity system which is dominated by these practices. The study themes presented are titled, …
abstract: The global burden of ‘maternal obesity’1 continues to receive worldwide attention, with the dominating focus being the identification and management of the perceived risks obesity poses to pregnancy. This focus, however, has neglected to seek solutions and perspectives from the individuals themselves and those others that may be best placed to understand the nuanced dynamics and realities. In Aotearoa New Zealand (NZ) over 95% of women2 choose a midwife as their Lead Maternity Carer (LMC) (Ministry of Health [MOH], 2020) yet research exploring midwives’ perspectives on the provision care to women with increased Body Mass Index (BMI) is limited. The aim for this thesis was to explore ‘the perspectives of midwives in NZ regarding the provision of maternity care to women with an increased body mass index (BMI).’ The research question driving this study was “What are midwives’ perspectives on the provision of maternity care to women with an increased BMI in New Zealand?” To answer this question, this qualitative study utilised a feminist standpoint theoretical lens to explore the experiences of seventeen midwives who provide care to such women, in three separate geographical locations in NZ. Data was collected using focus groups and semi-structured interviews and Braun and Clark’s (2013) thematic analysis process was used to identify four themes. Midwives within this study perceived that the use of BMI as a single measure of risk in maternity was flawed. They identified that hype exists around increased BMI which leads to over medicalisation and unnecessary and potentially harmful interventions taking place when women present with an increased BMI. Midwives are aware of and witness both discriminatory behaviour towards, and poor treatment of women with increased BMI within their midwifery work. Midwives desire change, yet often feel obstructed and powerless within the current maternity system which is dominated by these practices. The study themes presented are titled, …
author: Wratten, Jade
language: en
keywords: Aotearoa, New Zealand, pregnant women, Māori pregnant women, midwifery, maternity services, body mass index, midwives, perspectives, health inequity, feminism, maternal obesity
license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
date published: 2021
date modified: 2026-07-27T20:28:17Z
provider: Otago Polytechnic
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: Otago Polytechnic

PropertyValue
property ID: Handle
value: https://hdl.handle.net/10652/5483

PropertyValue
property ID: DOI
value: 10.34074/thes.5483