Does culture influence the birth experiences

Factors that contribute to poor birth outcomes for FGNW in London may be linked to aspects of their cultural emic care practices which has so far not been studied and/or documented. Historical policy documents have highlighted poor outcomes in the birth outcomes of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) populations in the UK. Blunt (2014) and Smith et al (2019) highlight health inequalities faced by BAME women, resulting in fivefold increased mortality rate for black women in childbirth and 121% increased risk of stillbirth among black babies as compared to their White counterparts. This staggering historical statistics roused the researcher's interest in exploring potential influences that cultural practices may exert on the reported poor birth outcomes of BAME women including FGNW living in the United Kingdom. Therefore as a British-trained midwife from Nigerian background, she has taken on the task of exploring this matter both from the perspectives of FGNW and midwives; in order to uncover the influence that emic and etic care practices may have on the birth experiences/outcomes of FGNW in London.The results of the study, carried out in two stages, are reflected in this book.