Latino Culture At Pregnancy And Labor

Transcultural Model and the Latino Culture at Pregnancy and Labor

I will now explore these six transcultural phenomenon in relation to the Latino culture at pregnancy and labor. Pregnancy and labor are two very monumental periods of time in the lives of all women and their families. Though these major life events are experienced differently by every individual, we can take a look at the Latino population in general to get some ideas of how one can best care for a Latina woman and her family throughout the whole process. MD Pedro A. Poma writes, “Many Hispanic people in the United States retain the customs and traditions of their country of origin.” (Poma, 1987) As a result, health care habits, beliefs, and preferences of my Latino patients

To quote Pedro A. Poma again, “women are used to being told what to do, and as a result, they are hesitant to participate in their own health care. Physicians should be aware of the cultural differences and beliefs when treating pregnant Hispanic women.” (Poma, 1987) In order to effectively communicate to Latino patients, healthcare workers must strive to understand and respect these values, in hopes that the patient and their family will try to do the same. To best communicate with the mother throughout pregnancy and labor, healthcare workers may have to go through the father or significant other.

Space in the Latino Culture at Pregnancy and Labor

Space can be a huge barrier when it comes to successful communication between a healthcare worker and Latino patient. In the Latino culture, being physically close shows care and interest. A doctor standing five feet away from a patient is considered normal to the caucasian patient, but could be interpreted as apathetic to the Latino patient.

Social Organization in the Latino Culture at Pregnancy and

These legends and traditions are believed by some to have the power to alter the course of a woman's pregnancy and labor and could potentially affect the behavior and compliance of the patient towards the health care plan. Red ribbons and clothes may be used/worn to ward off the evil eye or “mal de ojo.” Some Latinos believe that cleft lip and palate are a cause of the event of an eclipse and keys may be worn to prevent this. In the Latino culture it is thought that cravings or “antojos,” which are known to be common in pregnancy, need to be appeased or else deformities may occur in the baby. “Cuarenta” is the 40 day period after childbirth in which a new mom will abstain from certain things such as spicy foods, exercise, and intercourse. It is a time dedicated to the baby and mother where family will often help out with housekeeping, cooking, and babysitting and it is thought that if cuarenta isn’t followed there could be serious