Giving birth. Voices of Chinese women

The meaning of the childbirth experience for Chinese women living in the People's Republic of China is described in this phenomenological study. Ten primiparous women participated in audiotaped interviews within 5 months of giving birth, 9 from Beijing and 1 from Chongqing. The interviews were translated by a bilingual native Chinese speaker and transcribed by the researcher. Themes were identified from the rich narrative data, including the One Child Policy's influence on childbearing, the transition to motherhood, and the influence of the cultural practice of "doing the month" (zuo yue zi). The findings provide insights into how nurses can provide better nursing care by learning about and validating specific cultural practices related to childbearing. The rising number of Chinese immigrants to the United States reflects the increasing need for more culturally competent care by nurses to ensure positive perinatal health outcomes.