The Childbearing And Childbirth Experience Of Migrants In Xiasha,Hangzhou City,China:a Qualitative Study

Background:With the development of urbanization and industrialization in China since1980s the number of internal women migrants at childbearing age is increasing every year. They have to leave their home and move into the rapidly-developed large and medium-sized cities for jobs. However, due to the system of household registration, women do not have the same social welfare, pay, and the access to the health and maternity care, as the local residents. This affects their birth experience.Objective:To understand pregnancy, childbirth and postnatal experience of the women migrants, and to understand their feelings and needs in order to improve their birth experience, to promote the normal birth and their health.Methods:The study used a qualitative design. A total of15women migrants were interviewed. They gave birth between2011and2012. The participants were recruited by purposive and snowball techniques. The data were collected through semi-structured interviews, participant observations and the software, QSR Nvivo10.0was used to.classify, code and explain the significance of the data, and to identify and refine the themes.Results:Migration and cultural diversity brought the women about concept changes and conflicts in their childbearing and childbirth experience. The inability to understand the information given by the doctors and to make the right choice led them feel helpless in this current overloaded and inhumane maternity care system and lack of equality in social welfare and social support.Conclusion:The maternity services have to be changed in order to meet the needs of women migrants. A midwifery approach that cares more for the social and cultural needs of migrant women would be best positioned to deal with the issue.