Indigenous Mothers' Perspectives for Culturally Safe Birth in a Hospital Setting
Date
2020-04-09
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
ORCID
0000-0003-0193-4748
Type
Thesis
Degree Level
Masters
Abstract
Abstract
Background: There is a resurgence of traditional and cultural birth practices in Saskatchewan, which involves Indigenous women reclaiming their rights to choose and to have greater freedom in the birth of their children. Traditionally, western medical approaches to childbirth were designed for physical safety, but do not address the cultural safety for Indigenous mothers. The goal of this study is to gain an understanding about Indigenous women’s birth experiences in hospitals and to improve culturally safe maternal health care in Saskatchewan hospitals. Providing culturally safe care for Indigenous mothers in Saskatchewan hospitals helps protect their mental health and wellness, strengthens the relationship between the infant, mother and her community, and provides a foundation for the child to begin their life immersed in their culture.
Methods: This study uses participatory action and patient-oriented research as a theoretical and research framework to hear the stories of 24 Indigenous women’s experiences of giving birth in a Saskatchewan hospital. Narrative inquiry was used to guide data collection and analysis. Semi-structured individual interviews and a collective consensual data analytic procedure (CCDAP) were used to collect and analyze data.
Results: Five overarching themes arose from the mothers’ stories. The five themes were: Culture, Relationships, Access, Choice, and Resilience. The mothers’ stories revealed their cultural practices were important to them during pregnancy and during birth, and they would like access to culturally safe care when they are in hospital to give birth.
Conclusion: The findings support the need for culturally safe care from early pregnancy to the period following the birth of the baby, which may provide protective health factors for Indigenous women and their infants. Health care providers have an opportunity to provide and advocate for improved cultural care for Indigenous mothers. The mothers in our study spoke of the value of culture to them, and their desire to reclaim traditional and cultural birth practices.
Description
Keywords
Indigenous mothers, birth
Citation
Degree
Master of Nursing (M.N.)
Department
Nursing
Program
Nursing