Samoan women's attitudes towards antenatal and midwifery care

Abstract

Late antenatal care attendance could be linked to Pacific women having higher rates of perinatal mortality, premature delivery and birth complications ( Perinatal and Maternal Mortality Review Committee (PMMRC), 2010 ). Aim: To explore, in depth, the attitudes of Samoan women towards antenatal and midwifery care. Methods: A qualitative study, where individual face-to-face audio-recorded interviews were conducted in either English or Samoan with 40 Samoan women and 10 key informants from professional organisations and midwifery practice. Results: Most women in this study did not have complications with their pregnancies and attended their first antenatal appointment in their first trimester of pregnancy. Fewer women attended antenatal care later in their pregnancies (15th week of pregnancy or after), but this group did not experience pregnancy complications either. The Samoan women viewed pregnancy as wellness and very few of them had planned their pregnancy. Although most participants did not relate to the content of mainstream antenatal classes because they were not culturally appropriate, they were satisfied with their midwifery care. Conclusions: While it is generally assumed that early attendance at antenatal care services is related to good pregnancy outcomes, this research tends to suggest that this is not always the case. Most of the Samoan women in the study had not planned their pregnancy and pregnancy was not considered to be an ‘illness’. Because they felt well during pregnancy, these women did not see the need to attend antenatal classes and did not necessarily register with antenatal services early in their pregnancy. Regardless of when they first accessed antenatal care services, most of the women had healthy pregnancies and were happy with the service provided by their midwives.