Beliefs and Practices of Postpartum Mexican American Women

The purpose of this ethnonursing study was to discover, understand, describe, and explicate the emic expressions, meanings, beliefs, practices, and experiences of postpartum Mexican American women living in a Passaic, New Jersey, community to gain an understanding of any phenomenn in the postpartum period. Leininger’s culture care theory was utilized as the framework for this study. Eight key and 15 general informants participated in this study. The ethnodemographic interview guide, a qualitative enabler, was used to assist with the collection and analysis of data. NVivo 8.0, a qualitative software program, assisted with data management. The data were analyzed into categories, patterns, and themes and confirmed through multiple interviews. Through face-to-face interviews and field notes, the researcher discovered, explicated, and analyzed the cultural context of postpartum period for Mexican American women. The findings from this study focus first on nursing knowledge development, pointing the direction for futfuture research to determine effective nursing care actions. Early interventions assist in providing culturally congruent care to postpartum Mexican American Women.