What native women think around the world about childbirth and what they would like to see instead

Pregnancy and having a child can be a special time. Families want to feel sheltered and trust their obstetric care.

But when do we He analyzed the evidenceWe have found that many indigenous families around the world face unfair treatment during pregnancy and childbirth. It may include racism, neglect of cultural aspects of their care or the utilize of healthcare poorly designed To meet their needs.

We found similar topics in research involving over 1,400 indigenous women, elderly, fathers, family members and healthcare professionals from the location, including Australia, Recent Zealand, Canada, the United States, Greenland and Sápmi (part of Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia).

Many indigenous places felt not respected. They said that hospital staff often did not understand their cultures or gave them basic rights during their maternity care, such as listening, taking into account decisions or expressing informed consent.

As a result, some families hesitated to look for care in mainstream hospitals. As one native woman told us during recent Australian research, she submitted for publication:

I am afraid of childbirth in such a system.

But there are alternatives.

What can hospitals do?

There is a clear need to improve labor and cultural security in mainstream hospitals respecting beliefsPractices and traditions of all families, including native ones.

For example, many indigenous families perceive childbirth as a joint event with further family support. But hospital policies that limit the number of support people often skip these essential cultural practices.

The indigenous families must also get a kind of health care they trust and feel comfortable. This can be perfectly included in staff with reasonable cultural knowledge and which can clinically support families with culturally sheltered.

Aboriginal patients’ affiliate officers are sometimes available in hospitals or health services. But there are not enough of them, they must serve entire objects and provide cultural support, not clinical care for the patient.

The indigenous families may also want to access a specific type of care. One example is “Care continuity“, Where the same midwife or tiny team of midwives supports the family throughout the pregnancy. Ideally, these midwives should be indigenous or, if not, be trained in supporting native families with respect and understanding.

What is “childbirth”?

For indigenous women living in rural and distant areas from home to give birth in a city hospital, it can be really challenging.

Sometimes women and families are evacuated from their home communities and must stay for weeks or months in momentary accommodation in the city, both before and after birth, and if their child is born ahead of schedule and needs additional care. This momentary accommodation can be far from the hospital.

All this takes place in unknown cities and towns, without family support, and sometimes away from other children taking care of the community at home.

This hinders In the case of mothers who need additional support and may interfere with breastfeeding and bonds with the child.

There is an alternative again. For many indigenous families, childbirth is not just about having a child. It is also a spiritual and cultural event strengthens their identity and relationship with the country. The “childbirth” care model, which respects the indigenous traditions and knowledge, strengthens it.

It is a careful care for the indigenous communities. This does not mean that you have to be born on rural and distant spaces, but it is a care model that focuses on culture, and can also be implemented in the city.

Perfectly, families saw the same midwife or a team of midwives AND Apply the “Bring on Country” model.

What else can we do?

Maternity services can be conducted by native residents which many women prefer. But native makeup staff about 3.1% Australian workforce.

That is why the key is the involvement of non -native staff in building relationships and supporting indigenous families in their law for receiving culturally sheltered care.

This may start with a better training for staff, not only understanding and answering the individual needs of a native person, but also to know when and how and how to do it speak upIN call or report racist or disrespect.

This is everyone’s problem

The healthcare system that you can trust should be sheltered for everyone. If some people feel hazardous or encounter discrimination when receiving care, it affects not only them, but it affects everyone.

For example, when native women avoid or delay to the hospital because of past bad experiences or discrimination, this can lead to health problems that could be prevented.

It not only harms women greater pressure in a public health system that affects all of us.

Speaking of these issues, we hope that all Australians will start to care for the safety of all women during pregnancy and childbirth.