Mothers in a new country: The role of culture and communication in Vietnamese, Turkish and Filipino women's experiences of giving birth in Australia

There are few population based studies which explore the views immigrant wo men have of the maternity care they receive in their new homelands. Three h undred and eighteen Vietnamese, Turkish and Filipino women who gave birth i n three major city hospitals in Melbourne, Australia were interviewed about their experiences of maternity care. Outcomes and experiences for women wi th different levels of English fluency were studied, as were women's needs and preferences for assistance with interpreting. Observance of traditional cultural practices surrounding birth and the impact of not being able to o bserve such practices on women's experiences of care were also explored. Women in the study not fluent in English experienced problems in communicat ing with their caregivers and these were reflected in less positive experie nces of care. Women were less concerned that caregivers knew little about t heir cultural practices than they were about care they experienced as unkin d, rushed, and unsupportive. Maternity care for immigrant women is only lik ely to improve when barriers to effective communication are addressed and a ttention is paid to raising standards of care.