Women's experiences of important others in a pregnancy dominated by intimate partner violence.

Background: Being exposed to intimate partner violence (IPV) during pregnancy is a difficult and complex situation. Despite this, there are few studies describing women's own needs for help and support.

Aim: The aim of this study is to gain a deeper understanding of women's experiences of important others in relation to changing their life situation in a pregnancy dominated by IPV.

Experiences of being exposed to intimate partner violence during pregnancy.

In this study a phenomenological approach was used in order to enter deeply into the experience of living with violence during pregnancy. The aim of the study was to gain a deeper understanding of women's experiences of being exposed to intimate partner violence (IPV) during pregnancy. The data were collected through in-depth interviews with five Norwegian women; two during pregnancy and three after the birth.