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Background: The postpartum period can be challenging for many women. For migrant women, the arrival of a new baby brings unique issues. This study aimed to explore the experiences of motherhood and postpartum support of Indian migrant mothers., Methods: A qualitative descriptive naturalist inquiry was adopted, with data collected through face-to-face, semi-structured, in-depth interviews with a purposive sample of 11 English speaking Indian migrant women over 18 years old, (6 weeks to 6 months postpartum) in 2016. The data were thematically analysed., Findings: Four themes were found in this study: the role of social support in postpartum care, support from health services, a psycho-emotional journey with socio-cultural expectations and struggling to bridge two cultures. Many of the women felt alone and were distressed with undertaking household duties and caring for older children, as this would not have happened in India. The women expressed needing practical support until they settled back into their normal lives. Women never sought professional advice for their ongoing mental health concerns. Conflicting advice from health professionals left some women confused about their expectations of traditional and modern postnatal care., Conclusion: This study gives a unique insight into the experiences of Indian migrant women following birth. There is a need for culturally sensitive and appropriate postnatal services that encourage Indian men to support their partners and help women to find alternative sources of culturally appropriate support. It is vital that mental health support is a key component of any such program of care., (Copyright © 2019 Australian College of Midwives. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

In Australia, one of the most frequent reasons for not breastfeeding is a previously unsuccessful experience. This qualitative study used an appreciative inquiry approach to co-design a model of peer and professional breastfeeding support, in a metropolitan area of New South Wales (NSW) Australia, in collaboration with women who have had previous negative experiences of breastfeeding. In total, 30 mothers, health professionals and peer supporters participated in a two-part study, involving interviews and a collaborative workshop. The data were analysed using content analysis. The appreciative inquiry approach led to a solution focused attitude among participants and a commitment to improving breastfeeding support. We noted a level of apathy when the participant groups were interviewed individually prior to the collective workshop. During the collaborative workshop, all three participant groups came together to look at what was currently working well and designed improvements for the future. Midwifery care was identified as important for the start of the breastfeeding journey, during pregnancy and for the first 1-2 weeks after birth, but thereafter it was community and trained peer counsellors who were prioritised for breastfeeding support. Participants identified the need for a variety of support options including face-to-face meetings, Skype meetings, phone calls and/or texting. Workshop participants emphasised the need for women, especially those with previous negative experiences, to be linked in with their local peer support community group. An appreciative inquiry approach brought together all key stakeholders to develop practice-based change which included the end user and care providers. The collaborative workshop enabled participants to come together, as individuals, rather than as designated health professionals or trained peer counsellors, or breastfeeding women with negative experiences. This led to a unified approach and a harnessing of collective energy to initiate positive change., (© 2020 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Problem: Australian breastfeeding rates are low, and strategies to increase them have been inadequate. New approaches for supporting breastfeeding are required., Background: Preliminary data suggested that Australian Breastfeeding Association members had higher exclusive breastfeeding rates than the general Australian population. The Engaging Mothers: Breastfeeding Experiences Recounted project provided an opportunity to determine which practices were influencing better breastfeeding outcomes., Aims: (1) To determine whether Australian Breastfeeding Association volunteer trainees were positive deviants regarding breastfeeding practices, (2) to explore characteristics or behaviours underpinning beneficial breastfeeding practices and (3) to identify modifiable characteristics to inform breastfeeding promotion., Methods: A cross-sectional, one-group survey design was used. Breastfeeding-related quantitative and qualitative data were obtained from lactation history questionnaires collected on application to train as volunteers with the Australian Breastfeeding Association (N=174), and analysed using descriptive statistics., Findings: Participants in this project had higher levels of exclusive breastfeeding to around 6 months (64%) and longer duration of breastfeeding (80% to one year) than the general Australian population, going beyond World Health Organization targets. Identified modifiable factors were knowledge and motivation to breastfeed, partner and peer support, birthing outcomes, immediate skin-to-skin contact, formula supplementation and positive attitudes to breastfeeding at work and breastfeeding in public., Discussion: Participants could be defined as positive deviants with positive attitudes towards breastfeeding. The personal behaviours and practices of this group may help inform future breastfeeding interventions., Conclusions: Identifying positive deviants and supporting the broader community to adopt behaviours that explain improved breastfeeding outcomes could be powerful methods to produce change., (Copyright © 2019 Australian College of Midwives. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Aims: To identify the health problems that women feel require help and subsequent help-seeking behaviour during the 12 months period after childbirth., Background: Many women experience physical and mental health problems after childbirth, but there is a gap in understanding how they perceive their health after childbirth. Studies suggested they are inhibited in expressing their needs and so seek informal rather than professional help for their health problems., Design: A mixed method concept mapping study., Method: Two groups of Australian women were recruited by an online platform and purposive sampling (N = 81) in 2017-2018, based on an established concept mapping methodology. A first group created 83 brainstorm statements about post-childbirth health problems and help-seeking and a second group sorted and rated the statements based on their perception of the prevalence of the issues and the help-seeking advice they would offer to others. Bradshaw`s Taxonomy of Needs was used to theoretically underpins the explanation of the results of women's felt need after childbirth., Results: Multidimensional scaling resulted in six clusters of issues which were categorized into three domains: 'health issues and care', 'support' and 'fitness'. Despite being directly asked, about two-thirds of the women did not report experiencing any health problems., Conclusion: Our findings showed women had a broader perception of healthcare needs which included support and fitness. There is a potential gap in services for women who do not have good social support., Impact: Family and friends were a key source of help-seeking. Post-childbirth routine care was focused on infant care and limited to the first 6 weeks after childbirth. The content of current post-childbirth care must be reviewed., (© 2019 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Problem: Postnatal screening rates to detect type two diabetes following gestational diabetes are low. The quality of communication is an important element to consider in developing targeted strategies that support women in completing recommended follow-up care., Aims: To explore the communication perspectives, practices and preferences of women, hospital clinicians and general practitioners, to determine strategies that may promote completion of recommended postnatal GDM follow-up, in Queensland Australia., Method: We used an exploratory, three-phase, mixed-methods approach, interpreted through intergroup communication theory. Phase one: convergent interviews explored perspectives of the communication experience in GDM care among new mothers (n = 13), hospital clinicians (n = 13) and general practitioners (n = 16). Phase two: a retrospective chart audit assessed current practice in postnatal discharge summaries of women (n = 86). Phase three: an online survey identified the preferences of general practitioners and hospital clinicians who provide maternity care in Queensland. Triangulation of the findings from the interviews, audit and surveys was used to clarify results and increase the robustness of the findings., Results: Three themes: Seeking information, Written hospital discharge summary (discharge summary) and Clarity of follow-up requirements, provide direction for pragmatic strategies to promote follow-up. Practical recommendations include continued discussion about care with women from the point of GDM diagnosis into the postnatal period; discharge summaries that give primacy to diagnosis and ongoing treatment; and provision of explicit directions for recommended testing and timing., Implications: This research informs seven practical recommendations to help promote completion of recommended postnatal GDM follow-up., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Psychosocial assessment and depression screening are recommended for all pregnant and postnatal women in Australia. However, women who give birth in private maternity settings remain less likely to participate in psychosocial assessment programs, making it difficult to comment on the potential resource implications., Aims: To describe the psychosocial profile of a sample of women who had recently given birth in a private hospital and to examine the acceptability and feasibility of introducing psychosocial assessment as a routine component of maternity care., Materials and Methods: Two hundred and twenty participants were recruited in a four-month period from a private tertiary hospital located in Murdoch, Western Australia. All participants completed the Edinburgh Depression Scale (EDS) and a Antenatal Risk Questionnaire (ANRQ) prior to discharge via an iPad., Results: The mean total score for the EDS was 4.77 (SD = 3.93), with 5% of women scoring above the recommended cut-off of 13 or more. The mean total score for the ANRQ was 17.73 (SD = 10.72). 45.0% of all women endorsed no significant risk factors. The proportion of women scoring above the recommended ANRQ cut-off of 23 or more was 32.3%. Approximately 11% of women were referred for additional support or treatment. Acceptability of the ANRQ was high at 97.3%., Conclusions: This study describes the psychosocial profile of a sample of women who recently gave birth in an Australian private maternity hospital and demonstrates that with additional resources, the implementation of psychosocial assessment as a routine component of maternity care was feasible and highly acceptable in this setting., (© 2015 The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.)

Objective: to explore the postpartum experiences of Cambodian born migrant women who gave birth for the first time in Victoria, Australia between 2000 and 2010., Design: an ethnographic study with 35 women using semi-structured and unstructured interviews and participant observation; this paper draws on interviews with 20 women who fit the criteria of first time mothers who gave birth in an Australian public hospital., Setting: the City of Greater Dandenong, Victoria Australia., Participants: twenty Cambodian born migrant women aged 23-30 years who gave birth for the first time in a public hospital in Victoria, Australia., Findings: after one or two home visits by midwives in the first 10 day postpartum women did not see a health professional until 4-6 weeks postpartum when they presented to the MCH centre. Women were home alone, experienced loneliness and anxiety and struggled with breast feeding and infant care while they attempted to follow traditional Khmer postpartum practices., Implications for Practice: results of this study indicate that Cambodian migrant women who are first time mothers in a new country with no female kin support in the postpartum period experience significant emotional stress, loneliness and social isolation and are at risk of developing postnatal depression. These women would benefit from the introduction of a midwife-led model of care, from antenatal through to postpartum, where midwives provide high-intensity home visits, supported by interpreters, and when required refer women to professionals and community services such as Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies (Victoria Department of Health, 2011) for up to 6 weeks postpartum., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: Fathers' psychological distress in the postnatal period can have adverse effects on their children's wellbeing and development, yet little is known about the factors associated with fathers' distress. This paper examines a broad range of socio-demographic, individual, infant and contextual factors to identify those associated with fathers' psychological distress in the first year postpartum., Methods: Secondary analysis of data from 3,219 fathers participating in the infant cohort of the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children at wave 1 when children were 0-12 months of age., Results: Approximately 10 % of fathers reported elevated symptoms of psychological distress. Logistic regression analyses revealed that the risk factors were poor job quality, poor relationship quality, maternal psychological distress, having a partner in a more prestigious occupation and low parental self-efficacy., Conclusion: These findings provide new information to guide the assessment of fathers' risk for psychological distress in postnatal period. There are also important social policy implications related to workplace entitlements and the provision of services for fathers.

Objective: to describe perceptions of participating in a study testing the effectiveness of a perinatal emotional support intervention (Promoting Resilience in Mothers Emotions; PRIME) by women identified as experiencing emotional distress after birth., Design: qualitative descriptive approach. Semi-structured telephone interviews with 33 women recruited as part of a larger RCT to test the efficacy of a counselling intervention (PRIME). Women who received either (1) the intervention (counselling (or PRIME)) (n=16), (2) active control (Parenting support) (n=12), or (3) matched control (standard care) (n=5), were interviewed at 12 months postpartum. Thematic analysis of data was used., Findings: 'promoting reflection' and 'feeling cared for', were phrases that all participants used to describe their experience in the project regardless of group allocation. Women receiving PRIME reported 'getting in touch with (their) feelings' and 'moving on' as beneficial outcomes. Two women who received counselling reported 'having things left unresolved' indicating that their needs had not been met. Some women in both the active control and intervention identified that contact was 'nice but not hugely helpful or needed'., Implications and Conclusions: positive outcomes of PRIME were evident and most participants desired postpartum contact. Some women needed additional follow up and targeted assistance. Findings support the importance of providing personalised postnatal care that addresses women's emotional health needs., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Aims: To describe the risk perceptions and factors associated with a high level of perceived risk for the development of Type 2 diabetes in a sample of Australian women with a recent history of gestational diabetes mellitus., Methods: Participants were women aged 18 years and over, diagnosed with gestational diabetes between 2003 and 2005, registered with the National Diabetes Services Scheme. Cross-sectional data were collected via written postal survey and included a self-reported risk perception scale., Results: Of 4098 invited, eligible women, 1372 consented to participate (response rate 36%). Respondents currently pregnant or subsequently diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes were excluded (n = 196). Up to 3 years post-gestational diabetes, 32% of women perceived that they were at a low or very low risk for developing Type 2 diabetes, 42% at moderate risk and 26% high or very high risk. Using logistic regression analysis, factors associated with high level of perceived risk were body mass index > 25 kg/m(2) [odds ratio (OR) 4.50, 95% confidence interval (CI) (3.12, 6.51)], a family history of diabetes [OR 3.80, 95% CI (2.67, 5.33)] and use of insulin during pregnancy [OR 1.92, 95% CI (1.31, 2.61)]., Conclusions: Although women with known risk factors for Type 2 diabetes were more likely to perceive their risk as high, we found that one third still considered themselves to be at low or very low risk for the development of diabetes. These results suggest a need for increased awareness of gestational diabetes as a strong predictor of Type 2 diabetes risk.

Objective: To examine the prospective association between symptoms commonly experienced during pregnancy and the mental and general health status of women 14 years post partum., Methods: Data used were from the Mater-University of Queensland Study of Pregnancy, a community-based prospective birth cohort study begun in Brisbane, Australia, in 1981. Logistic regression analyses were conducted., Results: Data were available for 5118 women. Women who experienced a higher burden of symptoms during pregnancy were at greater risk of becoming depressed and reporting poorer health status 14 years post partum. Women who experienced major problems during pregnancy were 4 times more likely to be depressed and nearly 8 times more likely to report poorer health status 14 years after the index pregnancy compared with women who experienced few problems., Conclusions: Findings suggest that pregnant women who experience common symptoms during pregnancy are likely to experience poorer mental and self-reported general health 14 years after the pregnancy.

The current trend of health care services to encourage early discharge of women from hospital within three days of childbirth has produced some concerning issues. This paper explores the factors surrounding this trend and highlights the need for a postpartum midwifery community infrastructure to support women who are discharged from hospital before breastfeeding and parent education processes are established.