The Experiences of African Women Giving Birth in Brisbane, Australia

Abstract

Our purpose in this research was to uncover first-person descriptions of the birth experiences of African refugee women in Brisbane, Australia, and to explore the common themes that emerged from their experiences. We conducted semistructured interviews with 10 African refugees who had given birth in Brisbane. Essences universal to childbirth such as pain, control, and experiences of caregivers featured prominently in participants’ descriptions of their experiences. Their experiences, however, were further overshadowed by issues such as language barriers, the refugee experience, female genital mutilation (FGM), and encounters with health services with limited cultural competence.

The authors would like to sincerely thank Family Planning Queensland's bilingual workers for their support and contribution to this project: Edith Santos, Esther Taylor, Rebecca Lovering, Mulat Hailesilassie, Ifrah Mohamed, Lula Hersi, Fatuma Yusuf, Abdi Chimosa, and Ashwag Mohamed.