The Meaning of Support for the Childbirth Experiences of Immigrant Women
Gould, Hilla (2018)
Gould, Hilla
Laurea-ammattikorkeakoulu
2018
All rights reserved
Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-201805158323
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-201805158323
Tiivistelmä
Childbirth is a transition in life, during which the meaning of social support networks is emphasized. The childbirth experience itself is affected by the support received from the support network as well as from the midwife. A positive childbirth experience is connected to the feeling of control in labor, which can be enhanced by the relationship the woman develops with her midwife. Immigration can affect the social support system of an individual greatly. As an immigrant, one can give very different meanings to cultural factors and the relationships one experiences. Childbirth can accentuate the cultural differences between one’s native culture and the culture to which one has migrated.
The increasingly multicultural customer base of the Finnish maternity health care system challenges the professionals working within the system to meet the diverse needs of all its customers. The need for culturally competent care is increasing, placing the individual situa-tion of each woman giving birth at the centre of care. For immigrant women, this includes the various meanings an individual woman gives to her supportive needs and the unique relationship she builds with her midwife. The purpose of this study was to provide information to health care professionals working within the Finnish health care system, in order for them to be able to understand and meet the needs of immigrant women. The aim of the study was to understand the meaning of support for the childbirth experiences of immigrant women. This study was conducted in collaboration with the Helsinki University Central Hospital (HUCH) Women’s Hospital.
For this study, seven immigrant women, who had recently given birth in Finland were inter-viewed about their childbirth experiences. The data was collected by individual theme inter-views. The data was recorded, transcribed and analyzed using content analysis.
According to the findings of this study, the childbirth experiences of immigrant women in Finland included factors related to being an immigrant, such as the unfamiliarity of the health care system and communicating in a foreign language, and factors related to the health care professionals, social support and experiencing various feelings during childbirth. The hospital arrangements were seen as affecting the experience of social support. The women interviewed in this study had very different constructs of support networks. They re-ceived support during pregnancy and childbirth from their support network and the health care system, and the support was physical, emotional, informational as well as advocacy. The role of the husband was especially important during childbirth. The support from professionals had a significant impact on the childbirth experience. The relationship with the midwife had positive and negative factors, where positive factors included continuous care and support and facilitated the sense of control, while negative factors resulted in feelings of mistrust and of not being heard.
The findings of this study emphasize the need to develop midwifery care and hospital arrangements so that they can provide culturally competent care, which acknowledges the individual situations and needs of all women and recognizes the importance of social support for the childbirth experience.
The increasingly multicultural customer base of the Finnish maternity health care system challenges the professionals working within the system to meet the diverse needs of all its customers. The need for culturally competent care is increasing, placing the individual situa-tion of each woman giving birth at the centre of care. For immigrant women, this includes the various meanings an individual woman gives to her supportive needs and the unique relationship she builds with her midwife. The purpose of this study was to provide information to health care professionals working within the Finnish health care system, in order for them to be able to understand and meet the needs of immigrant women. The aim of the study was to understand the meaning of support for the childbirth experiences of immigrant women. This study was conducted in collaboration with the Helsinki University Central Hospital (HUCH) Women’s Hospital.
For this study, seven immigrant women, who had recently given birth in Finland were inter-viewed about their childbirth experiences. The data was collected by individual theme inter-views. The data was recorded, transcribed and analyzed using content analysis.
According to the findings of this study, the childbirth experiences of immigrant women in Finland included factors related to being an immigrant, such as the unfamiliarity of the health care system and communicating in a foreign language, and factors related to the health care professionals, social support and experiencing various feelings during childbirth. The hospital arrangements were seen as affecting the experience of social support. The women interviewed in this study had very different constructs of support networks. They re-ceived support during pregnancy and childbirth from their support network and the health care system, and the support was physical, emotional, informational as well as advocacy. The role of the husband was especially important during childbirth. The support from professionals had a significant impact on the childbirth experience. The relationship with the midwife had positive and negative factors, where positive factors included continuous care and support and facilitated the sense of control, while negative factors resulted in feelings of mistrust and of not being heard.
The findings of this study emphasize the need to develop midwifery care and hospital arrangements so that they can provide culturally competent care, which acknowledges the individual situations and needs of all women and recognizes the importance of social support for the childbirth experience.