P38 - Life without a Medicare card: The maternity experience of women seeking asylum in Australia

Abstract

My research aimed to understand the maternity experience of women seeking asylum in Australia and the midwives caring for them. I conducted in-depth interviews with women seeking asylum and the midwives and doulas caring for them. This presentation will share my research findings and reflect on the demanding issues of caring for marginalised women and be challenged to improve their maternity care. Women seeking asylum in high-income countries have poorer health outcomes than women birthing in their country of birth. Poor perinatal outcomes for women seeking asylum include an increased risk of mental health issues, such as PTSD and postnatal depression and an increased risk of pre-term birth, stillbirth, neonatal admission, and caesarean birth. The legal status of these women is complex and changing, and uncertain. The average time women lived on temporary, rejected, or expired visas in Australia was five years. No Medicare, no family support and desperate financial situations augment the numerous obstacles to accessing care for marginalised women. Both women seeking asylum and midwives reported that they experienced variations in the quality of interpreting and, occasionally a lack of interpreters. Midwives identified barriers such as an inability to identify women seeking asylum and a lack of access to cultural competency training and education in trauma-informed care. However, women seeking asylum acknowledged the kindness of midwives who make a difference by providing woman-centred care to ensure women feel safe & well informed. Asylum-seeking women appreciate the kindness of midwives and value interpreter support and feeling safe. Midwives need cultural competency and trauma informed training. Further research is needed to explore models of midwifery care that target improved maternity outcomes for women seeking asylum in Australia.