PREGNANCY AND DELIVERY PRACTICES AND BELIEFS OF ETHIOPIAN IMMIGRANT WOMEN IN ISRAEL

This exploratory, qualitative study compared traditional and biomedica l pregnancy and delivery practices from the perspective of Ethiopian i mmigrant women in Israel. Findings documented that certain beliefs, su ch as the belief that nonmedical factors (i.e., moral behavior God, an d proper nutrition) were responsible for pregnancy outcomes, were rela tively unaffected by immigration. After immigration to Israel, Ethiopi an women, however chose to deliver their babies in the hospital rather than import traditional home delivery practices from their homeland. Despite many negative aspects of labor and delivery in Israel, Ethiopi an immigrant women felt that it was worth enduring negative Israeli he alth care practices in order to have ''clean,'' ''safe,'' and expert d eliveries. Findings from this study assist health care professionals t o provide more culturally Sensitive care to this immigrant group.