Prenatal and postpartum health care beliefs and practices of Arab women

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to describe the prenatal and postpartum health care beliefs and practices of Arab student wives in a small Southwestern university town. The study also explored whether temporary migration to the United States altered or complicated any of the traditional beliefs and practices. The sample consisted of five Moslem Arab women (all from different regions of the Middle East) who had experienced at least one pregnancy prior to the interview. An ethnographic method was used in guiding questions which dealt with beliefs and practices during the prenatal and postpartum periods. Analysis of data showed the importance of upholding traditional beliefs regarding pregnancy, and beliefs in religion and God, which determine the health of the pregnancy and the postpartum period, the importance of following advice of mothers, and the support system of female family members during the postpartum period.