 |
 |
Hi Mona This report I wrote might be of interest. I emailed it to the list last year but you can find it on the NZ Families Commision website see below). I am hoping to present at City University on June 14th when I visit the UK. Ruth 6 November 2006 Migrant women who become new mothers in New Zealand say their cultural needs are often not met or understood by health professionals. The report New Spaces and Possibilities: the Adjustment to Parenthood for New Migrant Mothers was funded by the Families Commission Blue Skies Fund. The researchers interviewed 40 Chinese, Korean, South African, British, American, Indian, Palestinian and Iraqi women about their experience of pregnancy and birth in New Zealand. Report author Ruth DeSouza of AUT University's Centre for Asian and Migrant Health Research has made a range of recommendations as a result of the study. These include making improvements to support services and communication, providing translations of relevant information, and more training in understanding cultural needs. "Many of these women felt that they had poor communication with health professionals and that their need for support and information was not always met," she says. "There was also sometimes a lack of understanding about their cultural needs &endash; for instance some Muslim women were concerned that male staff would come into the hospital room without warning, not allowing them time to put on their hijab. For Korean women there was sometimes an issue about not being able to keep warm and eat only warm food after birth as is their custom." Some women also felt pressured by the emphasis on breastfeeding and said that not enough advice and support was provided, nor was there enough information provided about formula feeding. Introducing babies to solid food was another issue with some women saying that no information was provided relating to ethnic food. "Iron deficiency, for example," said one Korean woman. "We don't know what to feed our babies for this." The women said they often felt isolated and alone and badly missed the support of family and friends. But some also said they felt much more empowered and self-sufficient because they had to actively seek out the information and support that they needed. Some also said their partners became more involved in the pregnancy than would have happened in their home country. Ruth De Souza says she suspects that some of the issues involving health professionals are common to all mothers - such as spending a long time in doctors' waiting rooms, having to keep repeating their health information and being given too much or too little information to help with decision-making. Download report (PDF 248 KB) To request a printed copy, please email [log in to unmask] -----Original Message----- From: Health of minority ethnic communities in the UK [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Mona Almalik Sent: Monday, April 16 2007 22:16 To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Born in the UK, National Conference, 4th April 2007 Dear All, Did any body attend "Born in the UK Conference", on 4th of April 2007. I'd like to receive any related material. Looking forward to receiving any related material. Best Regrads, Mona ALmalik PhD student, University of Aberdeen email:[log in to unmask]