International

Postpartum health beliefs and practices among non-Western cultures are each distinct, but have
many similarities. Two common belief systems surround 1) the importance of hot and cold, and
2) the necessity of confinement during a specific period of time after giving birth. This article
describes common postpartum health beliefs among women in Guatemala, China, Jordan,
Lebanon, Egypt, Palestine, India, and Mexico, and offers an exemplar from the authors
experiences as a Korean woman giving birth in the United States. Cultural competence in the
provision of postpartum care is essential for nurses in the healthcare world of the 21st century.
National
Objective: to assess Filipino, Turkish and Vietnamese women's views about their care during the
postnatal hospital stay.
Design: interviews were conducted with recent mothers in the language of the women's choice,
69 months after birth, by three bilingual interviewers.
Participants: three hundred and eighteen women born in the Phillipines (107), Turkey (107) and
Vietnam (104) who had migrated to Australia
Setting: women were recruited from the postnatal wards of three maternity teaching hospitals in
Melbourne, Australia, and interviewed at home.
Findings: overall satisfaction with care was low, and one in three women left hospital feeling that
they required more support and assistance with both baby care and their own personal needs. The
method of baby feeding varied between the groups, with women giving some insight into the
reason for their choice. A significant minority wanted more help with feeding, irrespective of the
method. The need for rest was a recurrent theme, with women stating that staff's attitudes to
individual preferences, coupled with lack of assistance, made this difficult. The majority of
comments women made regarding their postnatal stay focused on the attitude and behaviour of
staff and about routine aspects of care. Issues related to culture and cultural practices were not of
primary concern to women.
Conclusion: maternity services need to consider ways in which care can focus on the individual
needs and preferences of women.