Maternity waiting homes (MWHs) are intended to improve maternal outcomes by relocating expectant women closer to health facilities and skilled birth attendants ahead of delivery. Their potential benefits depend not only on availability but also on how women experience stays, which are influenced by emotional, social, cultural and logistical factors. This study explored those lived experiences among women who used MWHs in the Ari zone public health system in southern Ethiopia.
The investigation used a descriptive Husserlian phenomenological approach to capture the lived experience of MWH users. Data were collected in public health facilities that provide MWH services in the Ari zone, spanning a zonal hospital and primary health centres. The study design aimed to describe core meanings and shared features of women’s stays in MWHs rather than measure outcomes quantitatively.
Fifteen pregnant women who had stayed in an MWH for at least one week during their current pregnancy were enrolled through purposive sampling until data saturation was achieved. In-depth interviews were conducted between 15 June 2025 and 15 July 2025. Interviews were transcribed and translated for analysis.
Transcripts were analysed using Open Code software V.4.02 and the researchers applied Colaizzi's seven-step framework to identify themes and subthemes. The study addressed rigour using Guba's trustworthiness criteria, attending to credibility, transferability, dependability and confirmability to strengthen the validity of findings.
Analysis identified four overarching thematic domains that characterized women's experiences in MWHs: emotional responses, social influences, practical or infrastructural challenges, and perceived benefits related to safer birth.
Women described mixed emotional responses to staying in MWHs. Several participants reported feelings of isolation and anxiety stemming from separation from home, family responsibilities and the unfamiliar environment of the facility. At the same time, many expressed comfort and relief from being physically near skilled care and health services, which reduced worry about labour complications and provided reassurance about access to timely obstetric support.
Social dynamics within MWHs played a dual role. Women found meaningful peer support from other residents, which helped mitigate loneliness and shared practical information about pregnancy and childbirth. The attitudes and behaviours of health staff also shaped experiences; supportive staff interactions improved women's sense of safety and dignity, while negative attitudes could exacerbate distress. Outside the facility, family and cultural expectations — for example caregiving roles and community norms — continued to weigh on women, contributing to emotional burden during the stay.
Participants consistently reported practical barriers that decreased comfort and potentially limited the acceptability of MWHs. Financial burdens were prominent, with costs related to transport, non-medical supplies or lost household labour creating hardship. Many women experienced lack of adequate food while at the MWH, and described inadequate physical facilities such as limited bedding, sanitation or privacy. These infrastructural and resource constraints were cited as deterrents to staying or recommending MWHs to others.
Despite emotional and practical difficulties, women valued MWHs for the increased confidence they provided about childbirth and for improved access to skilled birth attendants and emergency care if needed. Many participants perceived that proximity to the health facility contributed directly to safer labour and delivery, and this perceived clinical benefit strengthened the overall positive appraisal of MWHs even when accommodations were imperfect.
The study concludes that women's experiences in MWHs are shaped by an interplay of emotional, social, infrastructural and cultural influences. To increase utilisation and improve maternal outcomes, the authors recommend enhancing the quality of MWH facilities, ensuring consistent food and basic resources, providing targeted psychosocial support, and engaging communities to address cultural and family barriers. The source specifically highlights the need for future intervention studies to test whether targeted psychosocial and food-security supports measurably improve women's experiences and uptake of MWHs.
Programmes promoting MWH use should attend to both clinical proximity and the lived experience of women. Addressing practical needs (food, bedding, sanitation), training staff in supportive communication, and integrating psychosocial support services may increase acceptability. Community engagement to reduce cultural burdens and to share caregiving responsibilities could also lessen the barriers that drive anxiety and isolation during MWH stays.
The source describes a phenomenological qualitative design focused on a purposive sample of 15 women in the Ari zone; details on transferability beyond the study sites are therefore context-dependent. The source does not report quantitative measures of effect, and recommends intervention studies to assess whether proposed supports change uptake or outcomes.