“I think they don’t realise being a parent is already difficult”: using Photovoice to understand the postpartum experience of women engaged with drug treatment during pregnancy

Purpose The purpose of this research study is to understand the experience of postpartum care for women who received drug treatment during their pregnancy using a participant-driven visual research method, allowing participants to draw attention to aspects of their narrative that they consider most impactful. Design/methodology/approach Three women engaged in drug treatment services in London were recruited to participate in a Photovoice study about their postpartum experience. This study included a Photovoice workshop, individual interviews where participants shared their photographs with a researcher and a virtual focus group where participants shared their findings with each other and were invited to discuss if the experiences depicted within the images were similar or different to their own. A case study approach has been adapted to describe the experience of the three participants through their photographs. Findings Two participants used their photographs to reflect upon their time in a residential assessment centre, with the third participant using her photographs to reflect her time in hospital after giving birth. The two participants who spent time in the residential assessment centre described this as an often isolating and unstimulating experience characterised by intense scrutiny and surveillance by staff. The third participant depicted the perceived lack of individualised care she received in hospital and how she felt staff were judgmental of her past experiences. Originality/value This is the first Photovoice study that has been conducted with women who have used drugs during the perinatal period.