What women say about their childbirth experiences: The case of Hmong women in Australia

Abstract

This paper discusses the perceptions and experiences of Hmong women, who are now living in Australia, in regard to childbirth. It is based on an ethnographic study of reproductive health among Hmong women in Australia. In general, Hmong women were satisfied with care received during pregnancy, birth and postpartum period. However, the women also had many difficulties during these periods, due largely to the different systems of cultural beliefs and practices related to childbearing. Issues related to communication also presented problems, as women could not speak English proficiently. The results indicate that health professionals in birthing services need to acknowledge cultural diversity as well as variability among women, for individual circumstances present important differences in terms of the care needed.