Maternity services for urban Aboriginal women : experiences of six women in Western Sydney
Institution: | University of Western Sydney |
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Department: | |
Degree: | Master of Nursing |
Year: | 0 |
Keywords: | Aboriginal women; childbirth; pregnancy in Aboriginal women; maternity services (Sydney, Australia) |
Record ID: | 1041473 |
Full text PDF: | http://handle.uws.edu.au:8081/1959.7/316 |
The use of mainstream maternity services by urban Aboriginal women is an important issue for health professionals. Aboriginal mothers are much more likely to die in childbirth than are non-Aboriginal mothers and their excessive risk does not appear to have changed over the last two decades. The infant mortality rate is three times higher than for non-Aboriginal infants. Therefore, this project aimed to discover the cultural needs of urban Aboriginal women who use mainstream maternity services. Six Aboriginal women who were attending the ante-natal clinic at Daruk Aboriginal Medical Service were interviewed. The thesis included the following recommendations and strategies for their implementation: 1/. Establishment of a discrete Aboriginal women's health unit in Western Sydney. 2/. Provision of culturally acceptable education about pregnancy and childbirth. 3/. Promotion of breastfeeding. 4/. Education and encouragement for non- Aboriginal health professionals. Master of Nursing (Hons)