Advertisement
Research Article| Volume 33, ISSUE 5, P479-489, September 2020

Download started.

Ok

Indian migrant women’s experiences of motherhood and postnatal support in Australia: A qualitative study

Published:October 18, 2019DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wombi.2019.09.006

      Abstract

      Background

      The postpartum period can be challenging for many women. For migrant women, the arrival of a new baby brings unique issues. This study aimed to explore the experiences of motherhood and postpartum support of Indian migrant mothers.

      Methods

      A qualitative descriptive naturalist inquiry was adopted, with data collected through face-to-face, semi-structured, in-depth interviews with a purposive sample of 11 English speaking Indian migrant women over 18 years old, (6 weeks to 6 months postpartum) in 2016. The data were thematically analysed.

      Findings

      Four themes were found in this study: the role of social support in postpartum care, support from health services, a psycho-emotional journey with socio-cultural expectations and struggling to bridge two cultures. Many of the women felt alone and were distressed with undertaking household duties and caring for older children, as this would not have happened in India. The women expressed needing practical support until they settled back into their normal lives. Women never sought professional advice for their ongoing mental health concerns. Conflicting advice from health professionals left some women confused about their expectations of traditional and modern postnatal care.

      Conclusion

      This study gives a unique insight into the experiences of Indian migrant women following birth. There is a need for culturally sensitive and appropriate postnatal services that encourage Indian men to support their partners and help women to find alternative sources of culturally appropriate support. It is vital that mental health support is a key component of any such program of care.

      Keywords

      To read this article in full you will need to make a payment

      Purchase one-time access:

      Academic & Personal: 24 hour online accessCorporate R&D Professionals: 24 hour online access
      One-time access price info
      • For academic or personal research use, select 'Academic and Personal'
      • For corporate R&D use, select 'Corporate R&D Professionals'

      Subscribe:

      Subscribe to Women and Birth
      Already a print subscriber? Claim online access
      Already an online subscriber? Sign in
      Institutional Access: Sign in to ScienceDirect

      References

        • Norhayati M.N.
        • Nik Hazlina N.H.
        • Asrenee A.R.
        • Wan Emilin W.M.A.
        Magnitude and risk factors for postpartum symptoms: a literature review.
        J Affect Disord. 2015; 175: 34-52
        • Almeida L.M.
        • Costa-Santos C.
        • Caldas J.P.
        • Dias S.
        • Ayres-de-Campos D.
        The impact of migration on women’s mental health in the postpartum period.
        Rev Saude Pub. 2016; 50: 35
        • Phanwichatkul T.
        • Burns E.
        • Liamputtong P.
        • Schmied V.
        Migrant Burmese women living in southern Thailand and motherhood: an ethnographic study.
        Nurs Health Sci. 2019; 21: 390-398
        • Falah-Hassani K.
        • Shiri R.
        • Vigod S.
        • Dennis C.L.
        Prevalence of postpartum depression among immigrant women: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
        J Psychiatr Res. 2015; 70: 67-82
        • Tobin C.L.
        • Di Napoli P.
        • Beck C.T.
        Refugee and immigrant women’s experience of postpartum depression: a meta-synthesis.
        J Transcult Nurs. 2018; 29: 84-100
        • Henderson S.
        • Kendall E.
        Culturally and linguistically diverse peoples’ knowledge of accessibility and utilisation of health services: exploring the need for improvement in health service delivery.
        Aust J Prim Health. 2011; 17: 195-201
        • Austin M.-P.
        • Kildea S.
        • Sullivan E.
        Maternal mortality and psychiatric morbidity in the perinatal period: challenges and opportunities for prevention in the Australian setting.
        Med J Aust. 2007; 186: 364-367
        • Lansakara N.
        • Brown S.J.
        • Gartland D.
        Birth outcomes, postpartum health and primary care contacts of immigrant mothers in an Australian nulliparous pregnancy cohort study.
        Matern Child Health J. 2010; 14: 807-816
        • Sui G.
        • Pan B.
        • Liu G.
        • Wang L.
        The long-term effects of maternal postnatal depression on a child’s intelligence quotient: a meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies based on 974 cases.
        J Clin Psychiatry. 2016; 77: e1474-e1482
        • Australian Bureau of Statistics
        Migration, Australia 2016-17.
        (Available from:)2018
        • Yelland J.
        • et al.
        Maternity services are not meeting the needs of immigrant women of non-English speaking background: results of two consecutive Australian population based studies.
        Midwifery. 2015; 31: 664-670
        • Bruinsma F.
        • Brown S.
        • Darcy M.A.
        Having a baby in Victoria 1989–2000: women’s views of public and private models of care.
        Aust N Z J Pub Health. 2003; 27: 20-26
        • Brown S.J.
        • Davey M.A.
        • Bruinsma F.J.
        Women's views and experiences of postnatal hospital care in the Victorian Survey of Recent Mothers 2000.
        Midwifery. 2005; 21: 109-126
        • Brown S.J.
        • Bruinsma F.
        Future directions for Victoria’s public maternity services: is this "what women want"?.
        Aust Health Rev. 2006; 30: 56-64
        • Bandyopadhyay M.
        • Small R.
        • Watson L.F.
        • Brown S.
        Life with a new baby: how do immigrant and Australian-born women’s experiences compare?.
        Aust N Z J Pub Health. 2010; 34: 412-421
        • O’Mahony J.
        • Donnelly T.
        Immigrant and refugee women’s post-partum depression help-seeking experiences and access to care: a review and analysis of the literature.
        J Psychiatr Ment Health Nurs. 2010; 17: 917-928
        • Hennegan J.
        • Redshaw M.
        • Kruske S.
        Another country, another language and a new baby: a quantitative study of the postnatal experiences of migrant women in Australia.
        Women Birth. 2015; 28: e124-e133
        • Australian Bureauof Statistics
        Births, Australia, 2007.
        (Available from:)2008
        • Australian Bureau of Statistics
        Births, Australia, 2017.
        (Available from:)2018
        • Maharaj N.
        Culture, identity and experiences of early motherhood of ethnic Indian immigrant women in Melbourne, Australia: an ethnographic study.
        Faculty of health sciences. La Trobe University, Bundoora, Australia Victoria2012
        • Jain A.
        • Levy D.
        Conflicting cultural perspectives: meanings and experiences of postnatal depression among women in Indian communities.
        Health Care Women Int. 2013; 34: 966-979
        • Goyal D.
        • Murphy S.O.
        • Cohen J.
        Immigrant Asian Indian women and postpartum depression.
        J Obstet, Gynecol, Neonatal Nurs. 2006; 35: 98-104
        • Goyal D.
        • Park V.T.
        • McNiesh S.
        Postpartum depression among Asian Indian mothers.
        MCN: Ame J Matern/Child Nurs. 2015; 40: 256-261
        • Dahlen H.G.
        • Schmied V.
        • Dennis C.L.
        • Thornton C.
        Rates of obstetric intervention during birth and selected maternal and perinatal outcomes for low risk women born in Australia compared to those born overseas.
        BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 2013; 13: 100
        • Dahlen H.G.
        • Barnett B.
        • Kohlhoff J.
        • Drum M.E.
        • Munoz A.M.
        • Thornton C.
        Obstetric and psychosocial risk factors for Australian-born and non-Australian born women and associated pregnancy and birth outcomes: a population based cohort study.
        BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 2015; 15: 292
        • Schmied V.
        • Black E.
        • Naidoo N.
        • Dahlen H.G.
        • Liamputtong P.
        Migrant women’s experiences, meanings and ways of dealing with postnatal depression: a meta-ethnographic study.
        PLoS One. 2017; 12: e0172385
        • Navodani T.
        • Gartland D.
        • Brown S.J.
        • Riggs E.
        • Yelland J.
        Common maternal health problems among Australian-born and migrant women: a prospective cohort study.
        PLoS One. 2019; 14: e0211685
        • Babu G.N.
        • Subbakrishna D.K.
        • Chandra P.S.
        Prevalence and correlates of suicidality among Indian women with post-partum psychosis in an inpatient setting.
        Aust N Z J Psychiatry. 2008; 42: 976-980
        • Wells Y.O.
        • Dietsch E.
        Childbearing traditions of Indian women at home and abroad: an integrative literature review.
        Women Birth. 2014; 27: e1-e6
        • da Conceição Santiago M.
        • Figueiredo M.H.
        Immigrant women’s perspective on prenatal and postpartum care: systematic review.
        J Immigr Minor Health. 2015; 17: 276-284
        • Lincoln Y.S.
        Naturalistic inquiry.
        The blackwell encyclopedia of sociology. 1985
      1. ACT Health Multicultural Health Policy Unit.
        Queensland Health, Brisbane: State of Queensland2014 (M.S. adapted from Queensland Health)
      2. State and Territory Composition of Country of Birth in Migration Australia, 2015-16.
        A.B.o. Statistics, Canberra2017
        • Liamputtong P.
        Qualitative data analysis: conceptual and practical considerations.
        Health Promot J Aust. 2009; 20: 133-139
        • Bernard R.
        Research methods in anthropology: qualitative and quantitative approaches.
        Altamira Press, Lanham2006
        • Richie J.
        • Lewis J.
        Qualitative research practice: a guide for social science students and researchers.
        Sage Publications, London2003
        • Braun V.
        • Clarke V.
        Using thematic analysis in psychology.
        Qual Res Psychol. 2006; 3: 77-101
        • Renner M.
        • Taylor-Powell E.
        Analyzing qualitative data.
        Programme development & evaluation. University of Wisconsin-Extension Cooperative Extension, 2003
        • Eastwood J.G.
        • Jalaludin B.B.
        • Kemp L.A.
        • Phung H.N.
        • Barnett B.E.
        Immigrant maternal depression and social networks. A multilevel Bayesian spatial logistic regression in South Western Sydney, Australia.
        Spat Spatio-Temporal Epidemiol. 2013; 6: 49-58
        • Shafiei T.
        • Small R.
        • McLachlan H.
        Immigrant Afghan women׳s emotional well-being after birth and use of health services in Melbourne, Australia.
        Midwifery. 2015; 31: 671-677
        • Russo A.
        • Lewis B.
        • Joyce A.
        • Crockett B.
        • Luchters S.
        A qualitative exploration of the emotional wellbeing and support needs of new mothers from Afghanistan living in Melbourne, Australia.
        BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 2015; 15: 1-13
        • Patel V.
        • Rodrigues M.
        • DeSouza N.
        Gender, poverty, and postnatal depression: a study of mothers in Goa, India.
        Am J Psychiatry. 2002; 159: 43-47
        • Rodrigues M.
        • Patel V.
        • Jaswal S.
        • De Souza N.
        Listening to mothers: qualitative studies on motherhood and depression from Goa, India.
        Soc Sci Med. 2003; 57: 1797-1806
        • Forster D.A.
        • McLachlan H.L.
        • Davey M.A.
        • Biro M.A.
        • Farrell T.
        • Gold L.
        • et al.
        Continuity of care by a primary midwife (caseload midwifery) increases women’s satisfaction with antenatal, intrapartum and postpartum care: results from the COSMOS randomised controlled trial.
        BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 2016; 16: 28
        • World Health Organization
        New WHO guidance on non-clinical interventions specifically designed to reduce unnecessary caesarean sections.
        WHO, 2018
        • Grewal S.K.
        • Bhagat R.
        • Balneaves L.G.
        Perinatal beliefs and practices of immigrant Punjabi women living in Canada.
        JObstet, Gynecol, Neonatal Nurs. 2008; 37: 290-300
        • Ghosh M.
        Postnatal depression vs. suffering: an anthropological approach to south Asian migrant women’s postnatal feelings.
        University of Western Australia, 2005