NEST: Not even a safe territory; The uncertainty overshadowing women seeking asylum during their maternity care, in Australia.

BACKGROUND

Asylum seekers and undocumented migrants are a distinct group with different needs from refugees or migrants. This research focuses on the experiences of women seeking asylum in Australia during pregnancy, labour, and the postnatal period. This study is derived from a larger Ph.D. study that explored the maternity care experiences of women who seek asylum and the midwives and doulas who care for them in Australia. This paper focuses on the maternity care experiences of women seeking asylum, enriched by further insights from midwives and doulas about the women's access to care.

METHODS

Qualitative research was conducted using a phenomenological approach to explore the maternity care experiences of women seeking asylum and undocumented migrants. Data were collected via in-depth semi-structured interviews with ten women seeking asylum and three undocumented migrants and 17 midwives and nine doulas.

RESULTS

The overarching concept of this paper is Living with uncertainty. Four themes explore the adversities faced by women seeking asylum, including, 'The detrimental effects of detention', 'Financial constraints due to payment difficulties', 'The absence of family and friends', and 'Women's resilience in overcoming these challenges'. Organisational and systemic changes are needed to address the challenges of identifying women seeking asylum and improve access to maternity care for these disadvantaged women.

CONCLUSION

This study provides some important insights into the challenges faced by women seeking asylum in accessing quality maternity care and highlights the need for potential changes in policy and service provision to provide appropriate support. Social, emotional, financial and practical support are important factors that should be addressed to overcome these challenges. Further research is necessary to design and implement changes to current maternity models.