{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,4]],"date-time":"2026-09-04T14:21:22Z","timestamp":1788531682426,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":31,"publisher":"BMJ","issue":"9","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,4]],"date-time":"2026-09-04T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1788480000000},"content-version":"unspecified","delay-in-days":3,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["bmj.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["BMJ Open"],"accepted":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,27]]},"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,9]]},"abstract":"\n Background<\/jats:title>\n Maternity Waiting Homes (MWHs) are a key strategy for improving maternal health by bringing expectant women closer to health facilities and skilled birth attendants. Despite their potential benefits, a woman\u2019s stay is shaped by various factors, including emotional, social and logistical aspects.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Objectives<\/jats:title>\n This study aimed to explore the lived experiences of pregnant women using maternity waiting homes in the Ari zone public health facilities, Ethiopia.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Design<\/jats:title>\n A qualitative phenomenological study, grounded in a descriptive (Husserlian) phenomenological orientation and analysed using Colaizzi\u2019s seven-step framework.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Setting<\/jats:title>\n Public health facilities providing MWH services in the Ari zone, southern Ethiopia, ranging from a zonal hospital to primary health centres.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Participants<\/jats:title>\n 15 pregnant women, who had stayed in an MWH for at least 1\u2009week during their current pregnancy, selected using purposive sampling until data saturation was reached.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Methods<\/jats:title>\n We conducted in-depth interviews from 15 June 2025 to 15 July 2025 to match the Study Area and Period section. The data were transcribed, translated and thematically analysed with Open Code software V.4.02 to identify key themes and subthemes. The rigour of the study was ensured by applying Guba\u2019s trustworthiness criteria, with a focus on credibility, transferability, dependability and confirmability.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Results<\/jats:title>\n Based on the findings, the experiences of women in maternity waiting homes centred on four main themes. Emotionally, women faced both isolation and anxiety from being away from home but also felt comfort and relief from being near medical care. Socially, they found support from other women and were influenced by the attitudes of health staff while also carrying the burden of family and cultural concerns. Practical challenges included significant financial burdens, lack of food and inadequate facilities. Despite these difficulties, women ultimately valued the homes for the increased confidence and improved access to skilled care they provided for a safer birth.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Conclusions<\/jats:title>\n A woman\u2019s experience in an MWH is shaped by a mix of emotional, social, infrastructural and cultural factors. To improve the use of MWHs and maternal health outcomes, it is crucial to enhance the quality of these facilities, offer psychosocial support and involve communities. Future intervention studies should test whether targeted psychosocial and food-security support measurably improve women\u2019s experiences and MWH uptake.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1136\/bmjopen-2026-123323","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,4]],"date-time":"2026-09-04T13:41:26Z","timestamp":1788529286000},"page":"e123323","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1136\/crossmarkpolicy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Experiences of pregnant women staying in a maternity waiting home at Ari zone public health facilities, Ethiopia: a phenomenological qualitative study"],"prefix":"10.1136","volume":"16","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0689-0238","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Worku Mimani","family":"Minuta","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Midwifery, Jinka University, Jinka, Ethiopia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Abera","family":"Gezume","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Public Health, Jinka University, Jinka, Ethiopia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6079-2642","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ermias Wabeto","family":"Wana","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Public Health, Jinka University, Jinka, Ethiopia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5059-7632","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Getamesay Aynalem","family":"Tesfaye","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Public Health, Jinka University, Jinka, Ethiopia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8320-1080","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Getachew Nigussie","family":"Bolado","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Adult Health Nursing, Wolaita Sodo University, Sodo, SNNPR, Ethiopia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"239","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,4]]},"reference":[{"key":"2026090405501256000_16.9.e123323.1","unstructured":"World Health Organization . 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