Postnatal care: the attitudes and experiences of Asian women in east London

Abstract

Thirty-two Asian women living in East London were interviewed about their experiences of childbirth. A significant part of their accounts concerned their experiences in the postnatal wards. They reported fewer difficulties with infant feeding than their non-Asian counterparts in other studies, but there were indications of similar tensions between mothers and staff about how much responsibility mothers should take for their baby's care. Asian women raised several additional issues. Some centred on communication difficulties for Asian women who did not speak fluent English. Others point to their different ideologies around the care of the mother and baby and the nature of early mother-infant relations. Asian women viewed the opportunity to rest and recover postnatally as more central to their postnatal care than they considered hospitals did. Women had less to say and seemed less familiar with the discourse on bonding, and were less preoccupied with the establishment of close mother-infant relationship. The implications for ideas about ‘normal’ maternal behaviour and the quality of care are discussed.