title: The experiences of African women giving birth in Brisbane, Australia.
abstract: Our purpose in this research was to uncover first-person descriptions of the birth experiences of African refugee women in Brisbane, Australia, and to explore the common themes that emerged from their experiences. We conducted semistructured interviews with 10 African refugees who had given birth in Brisbane. Essences universal to childbirth such as pain, control, and experiences of caregivers featured prominently in participants' descriptions of their experiences. Their experiences, however, were further overshadowed by issues such as language barriers, the refugee experience, female genital mutilation (FGM), and encounters with health services with limited cultural competence.
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, Queensland University of Technology, Kelvin Grove, Brisbane, Australia. linda.murray@qut.edu.au
authors.forename: Linda
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Murray
authors.forename: Carol
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Windsor
authors.forename: Elizabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Parker
authors.forename: Odette
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Tewfik
mesh_terms: D000349:Africa / Q000208:ethnology; D000739:Anecdotes as Topic; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D001315:Australia; D019093:Circumcision, Female / Q000208:ethnology; D003144:Communication Barriers; D003469:Culture; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D009723:Nurse-Patient Relations; D036801:Parturition / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000523:psychology; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000208:ethnology*; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011247:Pregnancy; D012036:Refugees