Transcultural Perspectives in Childbearing Paper
Transcultural Perspectives in Childbearing Paper ON Transcultural Perspectives in
Childbearing PaperRead chapter 5 of the class textbook and review the attached
PowerPoint presentation. Once done answer the following questions;1. How will the
biologic variations discuss impact the nursing care of the childbearing woman and her
family?2. Critically analyze and describe the culturally competent nursing interventions for
a Hispanic woman after a fetal demise from a cord accident.3. Why it is important to
understand the difference between prescriptive and restrictive beliefs of a mother’s
behavior during pregnancy? Give an example.4. Discuss the responses the culturally
competent postpartum nurse should initiate when an Asian woman refuses to get out from
under her bedding.Transcultural Perspectives in Childbearing
Paperattachment_1Unformatted Attachment PreviewChapter 5: Transcultural Perspectives
in Childbearing Copyright © 2016 Wolters Kluwer Health | Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
Cultural Belief Systems and Practices #1 ? Converging cultures call for reorientation of skills
and behaviors toward childbearing women. ? Culturally congruent care should be
maintained throughout pregnancy, birth, and postpartum periods. ? Many women and
families are attempting to preserve their own valued patterns of experiencing childbirth.
Copyright © 2016 Wolters Kluwer • All Rights Reserved Cultural Belief Systems and
Practices #2 ? Advanced medical technology has become common in childbirth; not
necessarily leading to healthier newborns and mothers. ? Women in the United States have
a higher risk of dying from pregnancy-related complications than those in 40 other
countries. o Health disparities in the United States play a role in increased: • Maternal
morbidity • Maternal mortality Copyright © 2016 Wolters Kluwer • All Rights Reserved
Question #1 ? Is the following statement true or false? ? In contemporary Western society,
an increase in the number of women in the work force, advances in reproductive
technology, self-care, alternative therapies, the explosion of health information available on
the Internet, and the influx of immigrants and refugees have dramatically affected
pregnancy and birth practices. Copyright © 2016 Wolters Kluwer • All Rights Reserved
Answer to Question #1 ? True ? Rationale: Pregnancy and childbirth practices in
contemporary Western society have seen dramatic changes over the past three decades. An
increase in the number of women in the work force, advances in reproductive technology,
self-care, alternative therapies, the explosion of health information available to consumers
on the Internet, and the influx of immigrants and refugees are but a few of the trends that
require nurses to examine and rethink how they can better care for their clients. Copyright

© 2016 Wolters Kluwer • All Rights Reserved Fertility Control and Culture #1 ? Fertility
depends on: o Likelihood of sterility o Probability of conceiving o Intrauterine mortality o
Duration of a postpartum period Copyright © 2016 Wolters Kluwer • All Rights Reserved
Fertility Control and Culture #2 ? Cultural and social variables influencing fertility : o
Reproductive health o Residence patterns o Diet o Religion o History of abortion o History
of venereal disease o Regulation of birth intervals Copyright © 2016 Wolters Kluwer • All
Rights Reserved Fertility Control and Culture #3 ? Transcultural Perspectives in
Childbearing PaperSocietal factors influencing reproductive rights and population control: o
Contraceptive methods: fertility controls versus natural methods o Refugees and
reproductive health: barriers to reproductive health o Religion and fertility control: beliefs
o Cultural influences on fertility control: misconceptions Copyright © 2016 Wolters Kluwer
• All Rights Reserved Pregnancy and Culture #1 ? Pregnancy is a special transition period
often influenced by customs and beliefs that dictate: o Activity o Behavior ? Prescriptive
beliefs, phrased positively, describe what should be done to have a healthy baby. ?
Restrictive beliefs, phrased negatively, limit choices and behaviors; practices/behaviors that
the mother should not do in order to have a healthy baby. Copyright © 2016 Wolters
Kluwer • All Rights Reserved Pregnancy and Culture #2 ? Customs and beliefs: o Nursing
care during pregnancy o Biologic variations: knowledge of certain biologic variations
resulting from genetic and environmental backgrounds ? Example: genetic disorders,
diabetes o Cultural variations Copyright © 2016 Wolters Kluwer • All Rights Reserved
Pregnancy and Culture #3 ? Cultural variations o Alternative lifestyle choices: pursuing
careers, same- sex parenting o Nontraditional systems: perception of the need for care o
Cultural beliefs related to: ? Parental activity ? Food taboos/cravings during pregnancy o
Examples: same-sex couples, supernatural consequences, pica Copyright © 2016 Wolters
Kluwer • All Rights Reserved Pregnancy and Culture #4 ? Cultural variations (cont.) o
Cultural issues impacting prenatal care ? Cultural interpretation of obstetric testing ?
Cultural preparation for childbirth Copyright © 2016 Wolters Kluwer • All Rights Reserved
Question #2 ? Is the following statement true or false? ? Prescriptive or restrictive cultural
beliefs practiced during pregnancy may lead to a mother’s guilt about the baby’s outcome.
Copyright © 2016 Wolters Kluwer • All Rights Reserved Answer to Question #2 ? True ?
Rationale: Although cultural beliefs might not be the cause of a poor neonatal outcome, they
may cause harm if there is a poor neonatal outcome and the mother blames herself. ? For
example, the mother whose fetus has died as a result of a cord accident might believe that
hanging laundry caused the cord to encircle the baby’s neck or body and might, therefore,
experience severe guilt. Copyright © 2016 Wolters Kluwer • All Rights Reserved Birth and
Culture ? Birth beliefs and culture influence: o Cultural attitudes o Methods of dealing with
the pain of labor o Recommended positions during delivery o Preferred location for the
birth o Role of the father and the family o Expectations of the health care practitioner
Copyright © 2016 Wolters Kluwer • All Rights Reserved Culture and the Postpartum Period
#1 ? Cultures have developed postpartum practices that mobilize and strengthen the
mother and the infant during this perceived time of vulnerability: o Dietary customs o
Activity levels o Taboos o Rituals Copyright © 2016 Wolters Kluwer • All Rights Reserved
Culture and the Postpartum Period #2 ? Postpartum depression o All new mothers should

be assessed for postpartum depression. o Some cultures do not recognize this as a medical
disorder. o Mothers may still exhibit signs/symptoms (anxiety, crying, mood swings). o
Pharmaceutical and/or culturally appropriate care and may be necessary. Copyright ©
2016 Wolters Kluwer • All Rights Reserved Culture and the Postpartum Period #3 ?
Transcultural Perspectives in Childbearing PaperBreast-feeding/weaning practices o
Affected by a variety of values and beliefs: ? Societal trends ? Religious beliefs ? Mother’s
work activities ? Ethnic cultural beliefs ? Social ? Access to information ? Past experiences
Copyright © 2016 Wolters Kluwer • All Rights Reserved Cultural Issues Related to Domestic
Violence During Pregnancy ? Domestic violence is one of the most significant health care
threats for women and their unborn children. ? Outcomes of abuse include: o Stress
(physical and emotional) o Poor lifestyle health practices o Delayed prenatal care o Lack of
Copyright © 2016 Wolters Kluwer • All Rights Reserved Question #3 ? A nurse
demonstrates an understanding of the sociologically focused safety risks for a pregnant
woman when: A. Conducting a suicide assessment B. Identifying her cultural health belief
system C. Evaluating her postpartum system D. Assessing the level of violence in her
neighborhood Copyright © 2016 Wolters Kluwer • All Rights Reserved Answer to Question
#3 ? A. Conducting a suicide assessment ? Rationale: A study identified homicide as a
leading cause of pregnancy-associated death and suicide. Health care providers must screen
for both partner violence and suicidal ideation as essential components of comprehensive
health and nursing care for women during and after pregnancy. Copyright © 2016 Wolters
Kluwer • All Rights Reserved Culturally Competent Care ? Nurses caring for pregnant
women of all cultures (including Hispanic, African American, and American Indian) should:
o Employ good assessment skills o Form trusting relationships o Perform patient education
o Show concern, interest, and respect for backgrounds Copyright © 2016 Wolters Kluwer •
All Rights Reserved Question #4 ? It is suspected that a pregnant Hispanic woman is being
physically abused. Which intervention will be most helpful initially? A. Arranging for a
Spanish speaking nurse to assess and provide the client’s care B. Providing the client with
written and oral information on women’s abuse shelters C. Explaining to the client that any
information she gives will be held in strict confidence D. Offering to call a female member of
the woman’s family to help arrive at a solution Copyright © 2016 Wolters Kluwer • All
Rights Reserved Answer to Question #4 ? A. Arranging for a Spanish speaking nurse to
assess and provide the client’s care ? Rationale: It is initially helpful that the nurse have
strong interpersonal skills and a genuine interest in Hispanic culture. In this situation, a
Spanish-speaking health care provider might be able to form a trusting relationship more
quickly, enabling the woman to share information about domestic violence. The Hispanic
culture is a male dominated one, leaving the females with little power to help in this
situation. The remaining options will be of little value if implemented as an initial action.
Copyright © 2016 Wolters Kluwer • All Rights Reserved …Transcultural Perspectives in
Childbearing Paper