Experiences of Seeking Antenatal Care and Delivery Among Teenagers at Health Facilities in Kibuku District, Eastern Uganda

Background: Uganda is ranked 14 th out of 54 countries in Africa with the highest levels of teenage pregnancies. The teenage pregnancy rate in Kibuku District in 2016 was at 35.8%, higher than the average rate in Uganda (25%) and also above the average one for rural areas in Uganda which was at 27%. Unfortunately, there is limited information on the experiences of seeking antenatal care and delivery among teenagers in the district. Method: This paper explored what these teenagers experience when they seek services at health facilities in Kibuku district, Eastern Uganda. This study used a phenomenological design. Data was collected using in-depth interviews from pregnant teenagers aged 13-19 years, seeking antenatal care (ANC) or who had delivered. They were purposively selected to participate in the study. Data collected was thematically analyzed through coding. Results: : Most teenage mothers know the importance of seeking ANC and delivering from a health facility. Unfortunately, only a few seek services early due to some experiences. These include personal experiences like financial constraints; interpersonal experiences like support they receive from the people they stay with who include husbands and parents, medication given, health workers’ attitude and health education given. Conclusion: The personal experiences of pregnant teenagers or those who had delivered at health facilities is that they knew the importance of seeking ANC and delivery at health facilities. The experiences with the health facilities also contributed to the seeking behavior of the teenage girls. For example, the comfort received by the girls at the facility, medication administered, the way they were treated by the health workers and the availability of utilities. The teenage girls need to be sensitized by health and social workers about the sensitive nature of their health when they are pregnant so that they are able to make personal decisions.