title: 'We make them feel special': The experiences of voluntary sector workers supporting asylum seeking and refugee women during pregnancy and early motherhood.
abstract: BACKGROUND OR CONTEXT: refugee and asylum seekers are over represented in maternal death data. Many asylum seeking and refugee women access maternity care infrequently, or not at all. Little is known about the role of voluntary sector workers in supporting pregnant refugees and asylum seekers.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  to explore the experiences of voluntary sector workers supporting asylum seeking and refugee women during pregnancy and early motherhood.
  
  
  METHODS
  a qualitative descriptive study.
  
  
  METHODS
  individual and focus group interviews in three large urban centres in North West England, United Kingdom.
  
  
  RESULTS
  two main themes emerged. 'Literally through hell and back' reflected the experiences of suffering, abuse and loss recounted to the volunteers by many of the women they work with. ׳Bridging the unacknowledged gap' related to the invisible processes undertaken by the workers as they enable the women they work with to over come their marginalised position. This included the difficulties of transience, and lack of enculturation, and to support them in accessing maternity care.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  voluntary sector workers supporting asylum seeking and refugee women strongly identified with the extreme suffering experienced by many of the women they work with. Through this contact, they become acutely aware of the gaps in provision for such women, and developed unique and innovative approaches to bridge this gap. These findings highlight the need for maternity health system to actively collaborate with, and learn from, voluntary agencies working in this field to improve the support offered to asylum seeking and refugee women.
authors.affiliation: Research in Childbirth and Health (ReaCH) Group, School of Health, University of Central Lancashire, Preston PR1 2HE, United Kingdom. Electronic address: mbalaam@uclan.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Marie-Clare
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Balaam
authors.affiliation: Research in Childbirth and Health (ReaCH) Group, School of Health, University of Central Lancashire, Preston PR1 2HE, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Carol
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kingdon
authors.affiliation: Maternal and Infant Nutrition and Nurture Unit (MAINN), School of Health, University of Central Lancashire, Preston PR1 2HE, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Gill
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Thomson
authors.affiliation: Research in Childbirth and Health (ReaCH) Group, School of Health, University of Central Lancashire, Preston PR1 2HE, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Kenneth
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Finlayson
authors.affiliation: Research in Childbirth and Health (ReaCH) Group, School of Health, University of Central Lancashire, Preston PR1 2HE, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Soo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Downe
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D054242:Emigrants and Immigrants; D004739:England; D005260:Female; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006801:Humans; D000068101:Maternal-Child Health Services; D008880:Midwifery; D011247:Pregnancy; D011295:Prenatal Care; D013222:State Medicine; D016746:Transcultural Nursing; D014838:Volunteers / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Asylum; Culture; Pregnant; Refugee; Social support; Voluntary