Chinese-speaking women's experiences in the postnatal period in Australia: An exploratory study

Abstract

In today's contemporary world, postnatal women of Chinese ancestry still adhere to the traditional health beliefs and practices of postnatal care. Chinese-speaking people refer to these health beliefs and practices as "Zuo Yuezi" which can be interpreted as "Sitting Out for the Month" or "Doing the Month". The purpose of this study was to explore Chinese women's postnatal experiences in Australia and to find out: (i) whether Chinese women pursue traditional Chinese beliefs and practices in the postnatal period; (ii) why they pursue them; and (iii) what factors facilitated and impeded their practices. Findings show that Chinese women still adhere to traditional postnatal practices to varying degrees after migration. They pursue these practices not only because of apparent physical health reasons, but also for psychosocial reasons. In addition, it was identified that the successful practices depend greatly on the health providers' interpretation of health, their attitudes and style of communication and the availability of support.