Motherhood Difficulties of Migrant Women

Motherhood is a unique and fascinated experience for some women. Many women’s experiences of being mother do not go well. Being mother is associated with many responsibilities and lifestyle changes. These transitional demands often become stressful for many females and leads to psychological problems. This often becomes worse for women who live abroad. Being mother out of their own cultural context, social support and caregivers, interaction and communication problems with healthcare providers and changes in identity are some crucial problems that women outside of their own country. So many factors interplay to cause difficulties in postnatal period for migrant mothers. A considerable number of women go through severe depressive episode after childbirth. The purpose of this study was to discover lived experiences of postnatal depression of migrant Pakistani-Muslim women living in United Kingdom. Being black and non-English origin make this population ‘hard to reach group’.

Most previous researches have examined black and minority Pakistani Muslim women, thus failing to capture the unique experiences and diversity that exist within this group. Cross-cultural motherhood experience of this group is an original methodological contribution to the field of counseling by focusing on unique individual experiences, beliefs and values.

Research Questions

The study was intended to explore lived experiences and perceptions of depression in postnatal period among Pakistani-Muslim women living in England. The goal was to discover personal accounts of depression after childbirth. The study aimed to conduct Interpretative phenomenological methodology to gain rich exploratory data. The focus was to qualitatively study experiences of postnatal period of women with maternal depression. It was hoped that qualitative study would provide insights and perspective beneficial not only for the field of counseling but other disciplines as well concerned with mother’s health. The three main questions addressed in the study focus on how depression is experienced by migrant Pakistani-Muslim women in postnatal period? How do women who go through depressive episodes after childbirth describe motherhood experience in postnatal period? And how describe personal experience of support in motherhood after birth of child?

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Method

Purposive sampling technique was used in this research. By focusing on the basis and goals of the study, recruitment of research participants was done on the accounts of their personal experiences of postnatal depression. Both personal and professional connections were used to recruit participants from concerned associations. Evidences suggest that men also experience postnatal depression, so inclusion criteria were based on: a) women, b) females who born and brought up in Pakistan, c) Muslims origin, d) residing currently in England, e) aged between 18 to 40 years, f) experience of giving birth to one child, g) go through depressive episodes after childbirth and h) who were able to speak English. 18-40 years of age was selected because many females move to England in this age after marriage. English speakers were selected, so that researcher would be able to accurately interpret meanings of participants as she was English speaking too. Qualitative approach was used as aim was to explore ‘lived experiences’. Four migrant Pakistani women aged between 27 to 39 years were interviewed on one-to-one basis in London. All these women reported subjective encounters of depression in postnatal period. Interviews were semi-structured and lasted in 50 to 90 minutes. All interviews were audio-recorded and later were transcribed. Interpretative phenomenological approach was used in the study to analyze because study focused on lived experiences and understanding of postnatal depression. Interpretative phenomenological approach deals with in-depth and detailed analysis of individual lived experiences. Ethical considerations were also focused. Research was carried out according to the approved protocol by University of East London. Confidentiality was maintained by ensuring anonymity of participants. In case of distress while describing lived experience, therapeutic services were provided. Data transcripts were only accessible to researcher. Validity of the research findings was ensured by focusing on sensitivity to context, commitment and rigorous attention to data collection and data analysis procedures, coherence and transparency of problem statements, theoretical background and methodology, and overall impact and importance of the study and its findings were considered.

Results

Two-fold analytical procedures were used. One is taking insider’s perspective, participant’s stories and experiences took preference, and then participant’s descriptions were analyzed in terms of proposed research questions. Interpretative phenomenological analysis of interviews reveals six major themes emerged from the data revolving around one core theme of ‘living with postnatal distress’. Changes in experience, the accounts of important relations, motherhood and the body, having life with postnatal distress, Pakistani cultural experience and varying delivery of healthcare services were major six themes of the study. Changes in experience were caused by insufficient knowledge of being mother, the connection of migration with the motherhood, and changing identity and experience of self. The experience of important relationships has subthemes of conflicted relationship between women and their mothers-in-law, role of women’s own mothers, marital problems, bonding and mutual support within marriage. The body and the motherhood include subordinated themes of breastfeeding distress, restricted mobility after childbirth, feeling loaded and unable to survive and feeling lonely and distant from friends and family. Pakistani cultural experience’s subordinate themes were partial gender attitudes, problems with female independence in Pakistani society and strong support system after childbirth in Pakistan. Varying delivery of healthcare services covers subthemes of bad encounter with healthcare staff and inadequate health services. The findings showed that cultural, psychological and physiological issues and motherhood stressors act as major contributors to postnatal distress.

Conclusion

The research was focusing on lived experiences of maternal depression of migrant women provide an insight into richer and in-depth analysis of being mother out of your own cultural context. The study concluded that how difficulties of migration, i.e., change in personal identity and cultural experiences, language problems, social support and loneliness interplay with motherhood difficulties of immobility after birth, distress related to breastfeeding, feelings of burden and lack of knowledge of being mother leads to depressed feelings among females after childbirth. These research findings provide how experience of motherhood could become positive by providing better health interventions and social support for Pakistani-Muslims females including migrant Asian women too.