A Case Study Exploring Mothers' Experiences of Well-being in Prenatal and Postnatal Yoga at a Maternal Wellness Centre using Transformative Service Research

Abstract

The purpose of this case study is to explore experiences of well-being for prenatal and postpartum mothers at a maternal wellness centre in Ontario, Canada. Specifically, I examined the mothers’ experiences in prenatal and postnatal yoga classes (core service) and related wellness services drawing on transformative service research. Through field observations (140 hours over four months) and 33 semi-structured interviews (mothers as well as members of the health-service network), this study provides an in-depth understanding of how experiences of well-being are both co-created and/or co-destructed in prenatal and postnatal yoga, as well as through service experiences at the maternal wellness centre. Using reflexive thematic data analysis, three themes, each with three to five subthemes were developed: a) Centering a Woman’s Body as the Expert; b) Constructing a Meaningful Ambience and Social Connections Co-creates and Co-destructs a Sense of Support and Well-being; and c) “It’s Wellness Capitalism”: Maternal Wellness Is Not Fully Accessible to All Perinatal Women. The analytical observations bring attention to the complexities of offering yoga and maternal wellness services, specifically the ways in which well-being can be co-created, co-destructed and/or inaccessible for perinatal women.