Sense making of antenatal information by pregnant women in non-western cultures: using Wieck’s sense making theory as a lens

Abstract

This paper explored how pregnant women in Non-Western settings make sense of Antenatal Information. To achieve the objective of the study, Wieck’s Sense making theory was used as a lens. A qualitative case study research design was adopted for the study. A purposive sample of
15 pregnant women who registered for antenatal care in the General Hospital were interviewed for the study. The study found that five constructs of the theory; Retrospective, Extraction of Cues, Social, Ongoing and Plausibility explained how pregnant women in the study setting make sense
of Antenatal information given to them at the Clinic. The study recommended that further multicase study researches should be encouraged since Nigeria is multi-cultural in order to develop a formal theory or extend theory to Antenatal Information Use. The study also recommended that
spouses should be encouraged to accompany their pregnant wives to the clinic as a social outing; and that mothers-in-law and local midwives be incorporated into antenatal programs so as to change the narratives for future generations.