"Like I Wasn't There, Except They Knew I Was": A Qualitative Analysis of Latina Perinatal and Postpartum Experiences in Support of Self-care.

OBJECTIVES

The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand the perinatal experiences of Latinas from pregnancy through the first year postpartum to inform the creation of a web-based tool to support postpartum self-care. This study is the second of a two-phase effort to gain insights into women's experiences and challenges with self-care and their recommendations for improving the perinatal and postpartum experience for other women.

METHODS

Twenty-one Latinas (N = 21) between six months pregnant and six months postpartum participated in one of 10 conversations conducted in English or Spanish. A deductive thematic analysis was performed to identify themes across conversations.

RESULTS

Seven primary themes emerged: reasons for participating, childbirth experiences, challenges after childbirth, challenging stereotypes, social support, information on pregnancy and postpartum, and web-based tool features and content. Study results demonstrate that participants struggled with childbirth and postpartum experiences due to lack of information about maternal health and varying levels of understanding, support, and treatment.

CONCLUSIONS FOR PRACTICE: Results highlight difficulties Latinas experience during and after childbirth without access to information, resources that support self-care, or opportunities for self-advocacy. Findings also inform the practices of health care professionals who treat perinatal Latinas, including doctors, midwives, nurses, lactation specialists, therapists, social workers, and doulas with a call to mitigate unconscious bias and foster collaborative dialogue that bridges the gap between patient experience and clinical practice.