Pregnant and seeking asylum; exploring experiences 'from booking to baby'
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Publication date
2016-02-02Keyword
Asylum seekersWomen
Vulnerable women
Refugee women
Maternity services
Maternity care
Pregnant women
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© 2016 Mark Allen Healthcare. Reproduced in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy.Peer-Reviewed
YesOpen Access status
openAccess
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Show full item recordAbstract
Pregnant women seeking asylum in the UK may be particularly vulnerable with poor underlying health, more complex pregnancies and an increased risk of maternal and perinatal mortality. Studies have shown that some women seeking asylum have poor experiences of maternity care. This is despite the implementation of NICE guidelines to improve care for women with complex social factors. This article reports on a phenomenological study undertaken in West Yorkshire, aiming to explore the maternity care experiences of local pregnant asylum seeking women, to inform service development. Six women were interviewed over a three-month period. The findings focused more broadly on their experiences of living in the UK whilst being an asylum seeker and pregnant rather than focusing on maternity care, although this was included. Five key themes emerged: ‘pre-booking challenges’, ‘inappropriate accommodation’, ‘being pregnant and dispersed’, ‘being alone and pregnant’ and ‘not being asked or listened to’. These findings could be used as the basis for training midwives to understand how the difficulties women experience can impact on their health and social needs.Version
Accepted manuscriptCitation
Lephard E, Haith-Cooper M (2016) Pregnant and seeking asylum; exploring experiences 'from booking to baby'. British Journal of Midwifery. 24(2): 130-136.Link to Version of Record
https://doi.org/10.12968/bjom.2016.24.2.130Type
Articleae974a485f413a2113503eed53cd6c53
https://doi.org/10.12968/bjom.2016.24.2.130